Class Notes | 2000s

Class of 2001 Wesleyan Scholarship

Daniel Chung ’20, Bellevue, WA

Mara here! Welcome to Class Notes, fake news edition. Most of these updates are completely true, but some include falsehoods provided by your classmates. Can you find them?

Jenny Selgrath writes, “I just finished my PhD (small-scale fisheries and coral reef conservation) from The University of British Columbia, worked as a spatial analyst for Fisheries and Oceans Canada for a bit, and then moved back to San Francisco where I am just starting a post-doc at Stanford (projects on tipping points in coral reefs and on biodiversity changes in Monterey Bay). And of course, I have been catching up with the awesome folks from Wesleyan who live in the Bay Area.”

Chris and Wendy Jeffries enjoy living in Baltimore (they welcome visitors!) and were excited to welcome their second daughter, Maya, on Nov. 29. Her big sister, Elena, 3, is very excited to have a little sister to share her love of sports, music, and cooking. Wendy is keeping busy as the executive director of TasteWise Kids, a nonprofit that teaches kids through hands-on experience about where their food comes from and to make healthy choices. Chris continues to enjoy practicing law as a partner at Kramon & Graham, where he is a principal. His firm wrote in to tell us that he’s been recognized as a Rising Star by Maryland Super Lawyers 2018 for his work in civil litigation, and has been selected to appear in the directory every year since 2010.

Rachel Stevens writes, “We welcomed daughter Eliza Merrill Stevenson an Aug. 13, and she won a guaranteed place in the Wes class of ’39.”

I was so happy to connect with Makeda Dawson-Davis, who wrote: “I have been loving birth and postpartum doula work for the past three years, first with Ancient Song Doula Services and now with Healthy Start Brooklyn. I’ve just finished training with Doula Trainings International to continue my certification! I look forward to increasing my practice with private birth and postpartum clients in NYC areas for births at home, in the hospital, and at birthing centers. My personalized lactation support will also continue with another round of certified lactation counselor training. Lastly, my two sons are 9 and 6, and are enjoying elementary school where they take robotics, capoeira, karate, and graphic novel design, along with their academic subjects.”

Louis Bronk was promoted to assistant superintendent for personnel and talent development for the Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut. Meriden is the school district he attended as a student, and in 2012 he returned as an employee.

Joey Conover is now a realtor, just took her two children on a vacation to Colombia, and voted for Trump.

Katie Davis Reich writes, “My husband Jason and I welcomed our first child, Sylvia, into the world in October. We’re still living on the east side of LA, where we bought a house a few years ago like real grown-ups. I’m working at UCLA as associate director of the Center for Climate Science, where I focus on communications and outreach, and am very sorry to report that climate change is not fake news.”

Adriana Jones Laser had a son in November. The other two are doing well. “Otherwise not much news, continuing my life as a vascular surgeon and my husband’s as a radiation oncologist up here in upstate New York.”

Katie Clyde, in her fourth term in the Ohio House, is running for Secretary of State (election in November 2018) in battleground Ohio to save our democracy. She is Not accepting any further contributions to support her campaign at kathleenclyde.com/donate. “We have one Wesleyan alum on staff (Cade Leebron ’14) and are always accepting gung-ho Wes volunteers!”

My toddler still talks about our fantastic recent trip to Philly. We stayed with Ben Stanko and his family, saw The Kud (D.B.A. Jesse Kudler), and even got to witness Ali Stumacher’s son’s surprisingly poetic dance solo at his fifth birthday party. On the way there, we stayed with Mary Robertson in Brooklyn, and our toddlers became instant brothers. They’re both still muttering about a dust-up involving a child-sized armchair. We even stopped in Middletown, and went to Kid City (awesome) and Tibetan Kitchen (delicious). The trip was a little touch-and-go because the giant, shimmering, rose-gold eagle we rode kept almost ensnaring bystanders in her talons. Totally worth it, though.

Glossary of Untruths: R.C.: No guaranteed spot. J.C.: Did not vote for Trump. K.C.: Is accepting donations. M.V.: Eagle was silver.

Mara Voukydis | maravee@gmail.com

Aryn Sperando | arynsperandio@yahoo.com

Hi, 2009’ers! Below are some updates on our class:

Oriana Korol is attending graduate school at Portland State University’s social work program after two years working as a wilderness therapy field guide in the desert east of Bend, Ore. She attended Maggie Starr’s beautiful wedding in Hood River and ran into Noa Wotton ’10 at tracker school in Portland.

Reps for Dara Jaffe and Carl Maloni confirm that the two have decided to consciously un-roommate after four years and two apartments together in Los Angeles. The split was amicable and the pair will remain friends, as well as committed parents to their shared art collection and refrigerator. They ask for their privacy to be respected at this sad time.

Claire Kaplan is finishing her MPA degree with an internship at Public Citizen in D.C.

After graduating with an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley in May, Claire Levy moved to San Francisco, where she works in product marketing at Adobe.

Chloe Wardropper completed her PhD in environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Purdue University, and started as an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Society at the University of Idaho. She also got married!

Brittany Delany writes, “Expanding my connections in the Coachella Valley and Southern California desert region, life is weaving well. I co-developed a monthly movement peer practice with Sue Roginski ’87 and served as founding member of feminist creative women’s collective Wyld Womxn. Work at La Quinta Arts Foundation and California Desert Arts Council keeps me on my toes for growing opportunities to help make a meaningful impact in supporting the cultural landscape. Extending a true welcome to any Wes alums looking for a special desert retreat to make, build, share, and create.”

Bryan Wieland married Nicole Petitti on September 3 in Cape Cod at Wychmere Beach Club. He had many fellow Cardinals in attendance. And Russell Follansbee married Emma Nitzberg ’12 on September 3.

Thanks for sharing notes and please keep them coming!

Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

It seems that the Class of ’08 is largely waiting for our 10th Reunion to catch up, but there are a few notes to share nonetheless.

Rachel Schulman is loving life in Minneapolis, but has yet to run into any Wes alumni. If you’re in the area, get in touch!

Adrienne Shea and Ryan McLaren got married on May 28 in Newport, R.I. There was laughing, there was crying, and there was much Wesleyan reuniting. The wedding party alone included eight alumni: Cory Savereid Satow, Marcia Whitehead, Stephanie Savas Landerholm, Danielle Crystal ’07, Hannah Jackson ’09, Ashley McLaren ’13, Dustin Shea ’05, and Jeff McLaren ’06. Adrienne and Ryan live in Burlington, Vt., with the (objectively) cutest dog in the world, Zoro.

Cory Savereid Satow and Gary Satow MALS’12 had a daughter, Mara, last December.

For her last class notes entry, Janie Stolar was thrilled to report that her rash was clearing up. She regrets to inform you, it came back.

Katie Poor got married in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on a beautiful day in September, with Zoe Holder, Sage Trombulak Ruth, and Alicia Collen Zeidan as bridesmaids. Sam Ruth and Laura Silver attended as well. “Kids” was played and the rest of the wedding guests gawked as the Wes graduates danced like they were at a party on Fountain.

Alicia Collen Zeidan | acollen@wesleyan.edu

Robyn Schroeder is now the director of the Humanities for the Public Good initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is excited to get plugged into the art, culture, and activism circles of the Research Triangle.

Amy Crawford got married in Santa Barbara, Calif., on August 20. Amy and her husband, Jared Schonig, are living and making music in NYC and she is enjoying her work as vice president, supervising producer at Man Made Music. They moved into a beautiful new studio last year and she is always excited to connect with Wes folks working in the field.

Capt. Jesse Sommer is deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, serving as the deputy brigade judge advocate for the U.S. Army’s 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. (And yes, in the military, “3rd” is spelled “3d” and we don’t believe in superscript. I know.)

Heather Olins is on the teaching faculty in the biology department at Boston College, creating and teaching courses in ecology and evolution.

Anay Shah finished his MBA at Stanford University in 2013 and joined an early stage fintech startup in Seattle. After four years building the company, Anay and his wife are moving to Nairobi, Kenya! They arrive in January and hope to live and work there for a couple years.

Bob Coppola and Vanessa Jones Coppola and their 2-year-old son, Callan, moved to beautiful New Hampshire as Bob took a job at Dartmouth as the assistant director of athletic development. Vanessa is working remotely for the Handel Group out of NYC as director of operations.

Elizabeth Ody Leary lives in Massachusetts, where she and her two daughters chase frogs through the creek in their backyard.

Dr. Tony Alleyne, the founder and executive director of the Delaware College Scholars Program (DCS), has been named a 2017 “40 Under 40” winner by the Delaware Business Times. Tony accepted this honor at the publication’s cocktail reception in October.  The “40 Under 40” list recognizes “the region’s best and brightest young professionals…who are making a difference with their intelligence, initiative, and innovation.”

Marcella Winearls | marcellawinearls@gmail.com

Mariah Klaneski Reisner, husband Sam, and daughter Aviva are pleased to announce the birth of Zohana Grace Reisner. She was born June 19, 2017, at 8:02 a.m., weighed 8 lbs., 7.5 oz, and was 20.5 inches long.

Meanwhile, Carl Cervone lives in Brooklyn with wife Kidist and their 3-year-old son, Lucas. Carl finished an MBA at Columbia and runs a startup nonprofit called Enveritas that verifies sustainability practices in coffee supply chains.

Sarah Colao Wallach reports some wonderful news after taking a bit of a break from sharing some news: “Dan Wallach and I (and big sister Zoey) will be celebrating the first birthday of our second child, Maisy, this month. I changed jobs within my organization earlier this year—moving out of the general counsel role and into the chief operating officer role at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, whose mission is to grow the state’s clean energy industry.”

Finally, Jenina Nuñez shares some of her own news: stepping into a new role as director of communications at global advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago. Jenina’s appreciating the new role’s fast pace and working in a creative-first environment everyday.

Congrats to everyone for the growing families and wonderful career moves! Do you have an update for an upcoming issue? Don’t forget to send them along to us.

Jenina Nuñez | jenina.nunez@outlook.com

Meeghan Whooley Ward | meeghan.w.ward@gmail.com

Mayuran Tiruchelvam produced the documentary The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin—following the San Francisco author’s journey from a conservative son of the Old South to gay rights’ pioneer. Winner of the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival, Untold Tales premiered theatrically in New York and San Francisco in September, and will broadcast nationally on PBS Independent Lens on January 1.

Alison Plenge and Colin Aitken have made the happy relocation from D.C. to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where Colin is an assistant professor in the biology department at Vassar. Alison works remotely as an attorney in the international corporate group of Norton Rose Fulbright. They are happy to be closer to more Wes friends in the New York region and to have escaped the craziness of D.C. life with their two kids, Nora (3.5) and Lucas (15 months).

Caitlin Snow Clark is a program director for the Worthington Scholars program in Rockland, Maine. The program supports local students with scholarships, mentoring, and professional development opportunities as they pursue two- and four-year degrees in Maine.

Coe Will Hoeksema ended her 10-year stint at FXFOWLE Architects (where she briefly shared many high fives with Steve Scribner ’02) to become the marketing manager for WE Design, a small, woman-owned landscape architecture firm in Brooklyn with a focus on green infrastructure design. She lives south of Prospect Park with her husband and exceptionally charming 2-year-old son, Owen Calder.

In April, Arturo Vidich and wife Julia welcomed their second child, Juniper Auberon. Their son, Ryder Metteya, is almost 4 and is a great big brother. For the last three years, Arturo has been at work on his first novel, a Soviet-era sci-fi fantasy story which was awarded a project grant by Creative Capital. Last year he and his family took a road trip to northern New Mexico for a six-week artist residency. They now reside in BedStuy, Brooklyn.

Katie Nordine is the executive assistant to Leonard C. Goodman, an attorney and philanthropist in Chicago focused on issues related to social justice, reforming the criminal justice system, and supporting workers’ rights. She is enjoying living in Evanston with her two crazy kids, Nils and Valley, her husband, Dave, and their fluffy dog, Kashyyyk. She is thrilled that her longtime Wes buddy, Jacob Goldsmith and wife Rachel, son Ben, and pup Penny, are now just a few blocks away.

Three of the five former residents of 66 Home reunited over brunch in Boston with their families—Andrea Wilson McCoy, Julia Marcus, and Cara Herbitter. Cara completed her master’s in clinical psychology en route to pursuing her doctorate at UMass Boston. This fall, Andrea started a new position as the director of the theater program at Medfield High School.

Ricardo Watson and his family are expecting their second child, another boy, at the end of November. The Watson family spent a week in L.A. with Bobby Joe Clinkscales and his family.

Glen Lindeke was married to Jinwen Guo on February 7, and their daughter, Lotus, was born on June 6. They live in Medford, Mass., and both work as chemists in the pharmaceutical industry. They have enjoyed visits from friends and family including godfather Justin Conroy, Arnab Bhattasali, and Ku Yoo ’00.

Amy Tannenbaum | atannenbaum@wesleyan.edu

Greetings from Los Angeles! First, some birth announcements:

Dana Sirota and husband Josh Schiffrin welcomed their third child, Jesse, to the crew in June. Dana works as a pediatrician in Washington Heights, NYC. Natasha Joseph gave birth to her daughter, Rebelle Harmony Siddhartha Hall, on June 18 at UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital. On March 26, Rachel Kriger and Nick Corso welcomed their second baby, Ayla, into the world in their home, just minutes before their midwife arrived. It was a powerful experience. “We are so grateful to have Ayla in our family,” she said. You can read the whole birth story here at pointsofreturnacupuncture.com.

And here’s a quick update on me (Justin Lacob): My wife, Melanie, and I welcomed our second daughter, Juliette Violet Lacob, on October 4, joining our 2-¹/₂-year-old Scarlett in our expanding family!

Now onto our classmate updates:

Joel Nichols works in strategic initiatives at the Free Library of Philadelphia and is really excited about their project designing early literacy play spaces in three neighborhood libraries. He works on library impact evaluation and sometimes gets to work with Sarah Costelloe ’00. His book, Out of This World Library Programs: Using Speculative Fiction to Promote Reading and Launch Learning, was published last spring, and has a short story in a forthcoming small-press children’s anthology in the spring. He and his boyfriend, Ray, have a four-year-old named Jamie, and see their neighbors, Philip Gentry and Mary Peacock and their beautiful kids, not nearly enough!

Mary is the medical director at Banfield for multiple veterinary hospitals in the region, while Phil has a book coming out in January called What Will I Be: American Music and Cold War Identity. From Amazon: “In the wake of World War II, the cultural life of the United States underwent a massive transformation. At the heart of these changes during the early Cold War were the rise of the concept of identity and a reformulation of the country’s political life. A revolution in music was taking place at the same time—a tumult of new musical styles and institutions that would lead to everything from the birth of rock ‘n’ roll to the new downtown experimental music scene. Together, these new cultural and musical trends came to define the era. Author Philip M. Gentry travels through four very different musical scenes: the R&B world of doo-wop pioneers the Orioles, the early film musicals of Doris Day, Asian-American cabaret in San Francisco, and John Cage’s infamous 4’33”. The lives of musicians, composers, critics, and fans reveal how individuals negotiated the social changes sweeping the country in the initial days of the Cold War.”

Sebastian Kaplan joined a new legal firm, Gerard Fox Law, P.C., and will be opening their San Francisco office. The firm litigates high-stakes commercial and intellectual property disputes. Sebastian says, “It’s an exciting move and I’m looking forward to establishing the firm’s presence in the Bay Area. The other major change this year is that all three of my daughters—Zoe, Juliette, and Naomi—are now in school. Zoe just started kindergarten and one of the other parents in the class is Cindi Stephan ’96.”

Kasia Newman Deuel finally completed her advanced degree, which was a long, part-time endeavor, during which she worked full-time and started a family. She now has a master’s in environmental management and sustainability from Harvard Extension School. Although she developed a fond relationship with Harvard, Wesleyan is still her first love. She was sorry to miss Reunion, but was attending Harvard commencement the same weekend. She lives north of Boston with her husband and three-year old son, and works for The Pew Charitable Trusts on ocean policy.

Ernie Hartner went to Spain with a family of four and returned with a family of five only two weeks before Irma hit Miami. They rode out the hurricane in their new house a week after moving in and are all doing well.

That’s it for this time around. Please send me updates so I can publish them in the next issue!

Justin Lacob | justinlacob@gmail.com

Hey there, 2001. Whoa! Our inbox was inundated with responses to the Class Notes Volunteer Edition. A fine problem to have. So many good works—so little space on this page to fit it all in. Let’s get crackin’.

Sonya Abrams writes that with three kids under six, she’s fully immersed in Mom World but still finds time to volunteer as editor-in-chief of the nonprofit Golden Gate Mothers Group Magazine in San Francisco, which often feels like a full-time job. Sonya has been taking tiny steps to resist the current administration, help organize fundraisers, and connect Democratic speakers with high-visibility forums to spread the word and fight the power. Go, Sonya, go!

After wrapping up 10-plus years in the production department at Simon & Schuster, Mike Homolka now teaches critical reading and writing at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO Scholars) in NYC. This organization works with the Department of Education to serve low-income, high-achieving, first-generation American students, and it is always looking for mentors and part-time instructors. SEO Scholars received a perfect score on Charity Navigator (seoscholars.org).

Rachel Stevens tells us about her hometown’s grassroots organization, Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA). As volunteer board president for NCFA, Rachel has learned a ton about everything from lease negotiations to recycling contracts, and press releases to multi-board relationships. If Rachel wasn’t busy enough, she also welcomed her second child into the world, Eliza Merrill Stevens, on August 13. Congratulations to Rachel and family!

For the last 18 months, Heather Tseng has been volunteering with Paws on the Ground Colorado—an animal rescue organization that pulls dogs out of high-kill shelters and works to find them their “furever homes.” To date, Heather has personally fostered 32 dogs! Bad for Heather’s vacuum cleaner, great for dogs everywhere.

Joshua Kagan is involved with the Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (BPPP)—a nonprofit whose mission is to bring Buddhist teachings of no harm, meditation, and mindfulness into prisons and jails. Joshua spent time inside Solano State Prison with 16 inmates, co-facilitating a daylong retreat that encompassed meditation, yoga, and tai chi. He was struck by how committed participants were to mindfulness practice, as it serves as a refuge from the difficulty of day-to-day prison living. The BPPP is expanding its work and could use all the support it can get. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Joshua at joshuakagan@gmail.com.

Jesse Pietroniro works with Footsteps (footsteps.org), the only organization in North America that assists ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and women as they attempt to explore the world beyond their insular communities. Footsteps offers former ultra-Orthodox Jews a safe, supportive, and flourishing community to turn to as they work to define their own identities, build new connections, and lead productive lives on their own terms.

Eli Sheridan Wise has been living in Oakland, Calif., performing, composing songs, and teaching music to children. This October, Eli will join the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) on its Lavender Pen Tour; an event that takes place across the South that shares SFGMC’s mission of community, activism, and compassion. All funds raised benefit local LGBT programs. Eli will be co-leading a panel on transactivism at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In other news, Eli has several albums out on cdbaby and bandcamp. Visit eliwiseband.bandcamp.com to listen for free.

Dan Firger is hard at work at Bloomberg Philanthropies in NYC, leading Mike Bloomberg’s philanthropic efforts on climate change and clean energy. After the Trump Administration announced it would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Dan helped launch America’s Pledge, a new effort encompassing U.S. cities, states, businesses, colleges, and universities (including Wesleyan) that remain committed to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement (AmericasPledgeOnClimate.com).

John Keith just finished his fourth year as a tenure-track assistant professor in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. John and his wife, Rose, have two small boys (Bill, 3, likes re-enacting action scenes from Moana, and Danny, 1, likes eating). Between work and family commitments, John managed to get to NYC and SF this past spring to catch up with Will Gladstone, Nikesh Dalal, Alex Su, and V. Hoffman. If anyone is stopping over in Pittsburgh, let John know!

Keep up the great work 2001. We are a pretty impressive bunch—not that you needed any reminding. Thanks for your submissions. Until next time, do-gooders.

Mara Voukydis | maravee@gmail.com

Aryn Sperando | arynsperandio@yahoo.com

Greetings, Class of 2010, I hope you enjoy the following updates from our classmates around the world:

Micah Weiss and Nomi Teutsch ’11 were married on May 14. Aaron Freedman has the following report on the celebration:

“Hanukkah/Christmas arrived in May this year as the kickoff of wedding season for many 2010ers. The Meat Locker (167 Vine: Micah Weiss, Gus Seixas, Zach LeClair, and Sam Bernhardt) and Pine Palace (266 Pine: Sarice Greenstein, Joshua Wood, and I) were both in attendance along with many other ‘09, ‘10 and ‘11 grads from Nomi’s crew at the #micahandnomi nuptials. Summer camp weddings are always a good decision. Here’s to many more barn weddings with artisanal kosher pizza by David Schumeister. “

Jonna Humphries has some exciting job news: “I joined Moog Music Inc., and, in addition to marketing for the brand, lead up marketing for our future of music and technology festival, Moogfest. I’m now based in Asheville, N.C.”

Emily Hoffman has a wedding of her own to share: “On July 3, I married Alex Kane, a freelance journalist, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts with many of my Wesleyan friends in attendance. I have been working as an attorney at the Community Service Society of New York since September 2014.”

Also joining in on the wedding news is Michael Keoni Defranco, who got married on Hawaii’s Big Island at Kahua Ranch this past June. Many Wes friends were in attendance including four groomsmen: Jason Krigsfeld, Nick Ajello, Eli Bronner, and Kwasi Ansu ’09. It looked like a great time was had by all.

Michael Pernick submits the following: “Despite the craziness in the world, I’m doing my best to enjoy life as an attorney in NYC and be part of the resistance. Over the last few months I’ve been doing a lot of pro bono voting rights litigation. In my free time, I’m fighting the Republican health care repeal bill (I was born with a heart defect and I’ve had three open heart surgeries), including traveling to D.C. in May to speak at a press conference on Capital Hill with a few Democratic Senators criticizing the Republican bill.”

Hallie Coffin-Gould graduated with her MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon. She will be pursuing a career as part of Thermo Fisher’s Leadership Development Program. She is engaged to Drew Morris and they are living in Pittsburgh with their two dogs.

Lucas Hidalgo is living in NYC and is working at George Washington High School in upper Manhattan as a youth advocate and site coordinator for the 21st Century Community Learning Center.

Peter Hull graduated from MIT in June with a PhD in economics and has moved on to a one-year postdoctoral position at Microsoft Research in Cambridge, Mass. Peter will then head off to U Chicago—first for a one-year post-doc, then as an assistant professor in the economics department.

Finally, Tony Zosherafatain is living in NYC and regularly sees many Wes friends. Tony is hard at work directing and producing I am the T, a documentary about transpeople around the world (iamthetfilm.com). The Norwegian chapter of the film, I am Isak, was accepted into the Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival, My True Colors Film Fest, and the Thessaloniki LGBT Film Festival. Tony is also aiming to direct a documentary about transpeople’s experiences in Trump’s America. In his spare time, he’s enjoying traveling to new places and gradually checking off his bucket list.

That’s all for this issue! As always, feel free to pass along your life updates anytime.

David Layne | dlayne@wesleyan.edu