Class Notes

Congratulations to Willy Friedman, who is one of the producers of the hit HBO series, High Maintenance. The show follows a marijuana dealer  as he interacts with various clients around NYC. The show began as a popular Web series before transferring its clever brand of humor to a major network. The cast and crew are gearing up for season two. Willy and his wife, Jessica Smith, have a daughter, Ruby Max Friedman, who just turned 1.

As Pia Silva Wasterval continues to build her company, Worstofall Design, she is also traveling the country for speaking engagements and is publishing her first book, Badass Your Brand, about branding for small businesses. Worstofall Design has been featured in Complex Magazine and continues to be known as a top-notch branding company.

Rachel Bleshman practices law in Delaware, as of earlier this year. She is doing immigration work for victims of violent crimes and domestic violence with Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Maggie Elliot received her PhD in human development from Tufts this May. She is a research associate at CUNY’s Institute for State and Local Governance on a large jail reduction initiative (the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge).

After getting a master’s degree in cello performance in 2009, Psyche Cassandra Dunkhase has stuck around the beautiful mountains of Colorado, teaching cello at Boulder Suzuki Strings. Her youngest student just turned 3! She has also performed and collaborated on projects ranging from a hip-hop band to folk singers to regional orchestras.

Hayley Stokar is a professor of social work at Purdue University Northwest. In July, she married Alexander Fullam, with Celia Reddick and Dana Raviv by her side as bridesmaids. In her spare time, Hayley is one of the Chicago regional representatives for the Wesleyan Alumni Association with Johanna Russ ’03.

After three years as an emergency room attending physician, Risa Cyr has made plans to spend some quality time with her wonderful son, Atticus, who turned 4.

Belated congratulations to Adrienne Naomi Santiago and Andrew Aprile, who married after a five-year romance that began when they met at the Fifth Reunion and vaguely recognized one another from their volunteer work at Traverse Square. They were married in a NYC park, under a sun-filled gazebo, by Leora Abelson ’07. Adrienne spends her days at NYU researching the role of interneurons in early emotional development, while Andrew maintains a relatively lighter schedule, adjunct teaching at various CUNY schools and teaching music in early childhood settings.

Zach Strassburger had an article, Medical Decision Making for Youth in the Foster Care System, published this fall in the John Marshall Law Review. Zach’s wonderful son, Samuel Benjamin Strassburger Jenkins, will soon be celebrating his first birthday! Zach continues to teach at Winona State University in rural Minnesota.

Congratulations to Katey Rich and her husband, Michael Baltus, who welcomed their first child, Charlie. Katey is the deputy editor of Vanity Fair’s website. And congratulations to Kimberly Lippman and her husband, whose child, Joseph Maxwell Koziara, celebrated his first birthday. Joe’s favorite pastimes are putting random objects in his mouth and swatting at Chief, their surprisingly tolerant dog.

Mike Butterfield and Leila Russell welcomed their first boy, Maxwell David Butterfield, Aug, 23. He is eight pounds and five ounces of love and they are extremely proud.

Calvin Cato | catocals@gmail.com

Katie Walsh is living in LA, where she is a film critic for the Tribune News Service, LA Times, and The Playlist.

After five long, glorious years at The Jerusalem Post, Niv Elis has taken a position as the opinion editor for the Asia Times (he’s still based in Tel Aviv, though). He’s hoping to recruit some of the very best Wesleyan opinions, so if you have something to say get in touch!

Elizabeth Langston Isaacs and Noah Isaacs ’06 celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary on Sept. 8. The most exciting thing to happen to them so far in their decade-plus relationship has been the birth of their daughter, Vivienne Langston Isaacs, on March 5. Vivi is breaking hearts all over Brooklyn, where she is regularly doted upon by a large contingent of Wesleyan alumni. Elizabeth is an appellate public defender at the Legal Aid Society and Noah is an innovations project manager at ICL, an NYC mental health/social services nonprofit.

Jennifer Mariaschin-Rudin is living and working in NYC as a behavioral health integration LCSW and supervisor for a community health organization. She loves her work serving adults and youth in a community health setting. Jenny is always happy to meet and hear from other Wesleyan alumni interested in social work and mental health!

Doro Globus has just started as managing director of David Zwirner Books. Whilst she is based in London, the position will include more regular travel to David Zwirner’s two gallery spaces in New York, as well as to Hong Kong, as the gallery is opening a space there soon. She and her husband, Gavin, have been enjoying time with their 1.5-year-old son, Tristan—yes, he has red hair!

After spending a year as a visiting assisting professor in anthropology at Wes, Melissa Rosario is moving to Puerto Rico to launch a living-learning project, CEPA, which fosters cooperative economies and eco-social futures amidst the current fiscal crisis. The beta space—charco hogar—will feature short-term rentals and residencies to fund free and sliding-scale workshops to a broad public. Learn more at decolonizepr.com.

Kate Mitchell left her nonprofit job of six years to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, make quilts with her mother, and become a public school teacher in North Carolina.

After launching her novel, From Now On Everything Will Be Different, at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Asia-Pacific Writers and Translators Summit, Eliza Vitri Handayani toured Australia from August to September, appearing at the Melbourne Writers Festival as well as in Sydney and Adelaide. The launch of her novel at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival last October was canceled due to police warnings, and she protested by wearing t-shirts printed with excerpts from the novel to the festival. Copies of her novel were sold out at many events.

Marcella Winearls | marcellawinearls@gmail.com

NEWSMAKERS | 2000s NEWSMAKER MOSAH FERNANDEZ GOODMAN ’04 Mosah Fernandez Goodman ’04 was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (“TOYO!”), exemplifying community ideas and exhibiting extraordinary leadership. Active in the Omaha community, Goodman serves on the board for the Child Saving Institute, has served on the metro area board for TeamMates, is a co-founder of 24HoursofImpact.com, and is a graduate of Leadership Omaha. A theater major as an undergraduate, he also earned an MALS from Wesleyan, as well as a JD/MBA from the University of Iowa. Currently serving as counsel at Gavilon, he has managed the construction of the company’s downtown headquarters, supported many business development efforts, and has worked on a variety of legal and compliance issues.

Congratulations are in order for David Whiting. David reports, “My wife and I have a beautiful baby boy! Aksel Smythe Whiting was born on Sept. 6 and everyone is happy and healthy. We are still living in Brooklyn and I am still working with the communications marketing firm, Edelman, as a senior vice president in the public affairs division.”

More great news. Robbie Roose and Katie Zackin ’10 were engaged in August after a romantic proposal at Cannon Beach, Ore. The couple had been living together for the last couple years in the Boston area and relocated to Portland, Ore. They will get married next August in western Massachusetts. Katie graduated from MGH in the spring and is a pediatric nurse practitioner. Robbie runs corporate development and investor relations for Avid Technology.

Brian Hennessey writes, “I’m still working for a multinational telecom company in Paraguay. Work is great and living in Asuncion continues to be fun. Any Wes folks visiting the country should find me on Wesconnect and say ’hi.’ It would be my pleasure to show you around or recommend things to do.”

Lauren Kelly writes, “I have good news. I graduated in May from Columbia University with a PhD in English education. In August, I began a postdoctoral research fellowship with Boston University’s School of Education. I look forward to reading and sending you more updates in the future.”

Jenina Nuñez | jenina.nunez@outlook.com

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

Congratulations to Michael Lewis, who recently got engaged to David Scott.

In March, Jacob A. Bennett and his wife, Charlotte, welcomed baby Eloise into the world, just a couple of months before Charlotte completed studies in a speech-language pathology master’s program. They then moved from Philadelphia to the University of New Hampshire’s education PhD program, where Jacob accepted a role as a graduate assistant, concentrating on higher education policy. Charlotte is now a speech pathologist; Jacob is completing the transition from English professor to education student; and Eloise is cutting teeth and starting to crawl.

Alison Criscitiello, who was awarded the Mugs Stump Award for alpinism this year, is headed this fall to the Garhwal region of the Indian Himalaya to attempt a first ascent on Brahmasar II.

Joey Wender and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their first child, Sam, into the world on Aug 11.

Anna Christensen and husband Gabe welcomed their first child, Maya, in April.

Gabriela Herman and her husband, Tyson Evans, welcomed their first child, Emilia, on June 30 at the Martha’s Vineyard hospital. All enjoyed a memorable summer on-island before heading back home to Brooklyn.

Juliet Werner directed her first feature documentary, The Laughter Life. The film looks at a group of young Mormon comedians with their own sketch comedy TV show. It premiered at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival, co-founded by Lloyd Komesar ’74, P’07.

Amy Tannenbaum | atannenbaum@wesleyan.edu

I can’t believe it’s almost time for our 15th Reunion already! Excited to see you all there! On to the notes:

Congratulations are definitely in order. First, to Lin-Manuel Miranda for his multiple Tony Award wins this year for Hamilton. His takeover of the world continues! And I am personally excited to hear his contributions to the Disney animated flick, Moana, out Nov. 23!

And congrats to Dawn Papacena for running the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 6! She says “I would have never made it this far (and to the finish line) without the support of my Wesleyan family cheering me on: Nina Laing, Anthony Rosario, Carlos Rojas, Steve Gray ’01, Emy Rodriguez ’01, and Korin Mills ’01.”

Speaking of Anthony Rosario, he has a new job as a community outreach associate at Achievement First Charter School. He helps manage student recruitment, the lottery process, and elected official engagement for a portfolio of schools in Brooklyn. He lives with his partner of four years and their amazing dog, Randy, in Bushwick.

Lots of new children in our Wes world: On Jan. 5, Lara Everly, with her husband David, welcomed a baby boy, Leo Kahlil, into the world. He came two months early, but is quickly growing “into a huge dude.” Lara’s been touring film festivals with her documentary, Free to Laugh, about the power of comedy after prison. She continues to act and direct, focusing on female-driven comedies.

Lily Lung has a baby daughter, Ethel, born in February. Lily published two pieces of choral compositions this summer: one by Boosey & Hawkes and the other by BriLee (Carl Fisher). She was accepted to the online DMA program for music education at Boston University and began this fall. She is still teaching music full-time in the Glastonbury Public Schools in Connecticut.

Diana Pasquali welcomed her second child, Noah, to the family earlier this year, and her daughter just turned 2. She is back to work, doing nonprofit consulting in Oakland with national progressive organizations on training and grassroots strategies.

Brandon McBeth and his wife, Sharmin, had a baby girl, Mikayla Asha McBeth, born on Apr. 27.

Kimberly Nelson moved with her husband to Boston from Seattle in August 2014 after she received a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. Since then, she has been promoted to an assistant professor position in the psychiatry department at Brown University. She has a baby boy, Jules Nelson, born on Aug. 3!

And we had a lot of our classmates on the move! Paul Smaldino moved to central California in July with his wife, Emily, and their 2-year-old daughter, Lyra. Paul is the assistant professor of cognitive and information sciences at the University of California, Merced. This summer he trekked up to Alaska to visit Micah Allen, who is pursuing his MFA at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Paul Kim celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Mirjam. The couple moved to Brooklyn from Evanston, Ill. And Ben Allen earned his PhD in political science from UC, Berkeley in May 2015, moved to D.C., in December, got married this past February, and joined Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore as a microfinance programs researcher in September.

Julia Matsudaira is back in San Francisco, and is loving the Bay Area more than ever (“even though SF proper is a bit nuts!”). She works in wealth management, focusing on philanthropy and impact investing strategies for clients. On the fringes, she is helping Leah Ralph check off items from her SF bucket list before making the move across the pond next year, “all in celebration of 18 years of friendship and life since move-in day at Wes!”

Sasha Martin is a 2016–17 research fellow at the University of Tulsa through the Center for the Humanities. Her research will center on expressions of peace at the global table, culminating in a poetry and art show this spring. More details at globaltableadventure.com/2016/08/23/a-fellowship-of-food.

In other news: Hilary S. Jacqmin reports, “In the years since Wesleyan, I earned my MA from Johns Hopkins University and my MFA from the University of Florida. I live in Baltimore where I work as an associate production editor at Johns Hopkins University Press, and where I was married in October 2015. My first book of poems, Missing Persons, will be released by Waywiser Press in March (look for it on the Ides of March).

Lauren Gottlieb Lockshin lives in NYC with her husband, Noam Lockshin, along with their 2-year-old daughter, Abigail, and 6-month-old daughter, Elisheva. She is finishing her PhD in European Jewish History at Yale.

Peter March recently married and is working as a dentist north of San Diego in Carlsbad, Calif.

That’s it! See you all on campus in May!

Justin Lacob | justinlacob@gmail.com

Class secretary, Mara, writes for this issue. Sarah Levin writes, “I graduated from Naropa University in May with a master’s in counseling psychology/art therapy, along with my classmate, Regina Rooney ’84. I am living in the tiny and quirky mountain town of Nederland, Colo., and working at a Denver-based agency as a therapist for adults at risk of psychiatric hospitalization due to severe mental illness. It was great to catch up with my old roomie, Katharine Davis Reich, a few months ago.”

Hyunjoo and Don Kim welcomed a daughter, Maddie, in December of 2015.

From Ethan Schapira: “I am living in Brooklyn and have been teaching chess to kids in a few NYC public schools, basically since we graduated! In April, my wife, Dacia, and I were thrilled to welcome our first child, Owen, into our lives.”

Eric Bliss, Elizabeth Collins Bliss, and their son, Nathaniel, 4, celebrated the arrival of Finnley Albert, on March 26. The Bliss clan now resides in southern Maine, where Eric is a veterinarian at a small animal hospital. Liz works for the New York State Migrant Education Program.

Ben Spatz was selected as a UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (England’s equivalent of the NEH) leadership fellow with a project to develop decolonial Jewish song-action through a revised laboratory theater methodology. Instead of trying and failing to explain this myself, I’ll direct you to the website at urbanresearchtheater.com.

In 2011, Lisa Weinert launched her own consulting company, Lisa Weinert Consulting (LWC), after working at the Knopf Doubleday Group at Random House as a publicist and editor for eight years and spending one year working on digital marketing campaigns with e-book start-up, Open Road Integrated Media. She has published and promoted a range of authors focusing on topical nonfiction and literary fiction, with a special interest in narrative medicine, women’s leadership, social advocacy, health, and spirituality.

In 2015, she cofounded a new publishing imprint, ARCHER, with LA-based independent publisher, Rare Bird, where they provide full-scale global distribution and top-of-the-line publicity for a range of authors. Motivated by the healing and transformative power of storytelling, in June she created the debut annual narrative medicine program at Kripalu, an immersion with doctors, yogis and literary writers exploring the use and impact of storytelling and compassionate listening in the healing process. She teaches restorative yoga and curates workshops in yoga and storytelling called “StoryFlow” in NYC and is creator and host of a new podcast, Narrative Medicine with Lisa Weinert. Her next program at Kripalu is confirmed for July 9-14.

Mike Homolka’s debut poetry collection, Antiquity, was published by Sarabande Books in July of this year to favorable reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. He is teaching critical reading and creative writing to first-generation high school students in NYC.

Lisa Kagan launched a new website for her business, Family Heirloom Arts (familyheirloomarts.com), in honor of her business’ 10-year anniversary. Family Heirloom Arts is dedicated to helping individuals and families celebrate their life stories and significant life milestones through the creation of illustrated heirloom books. Lisa also offers life storytelling presentations, workshops and retreats through the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by the birth of her son Julius in 2012, Lisa has expanded her business offerings to include the Art of Motherhood program, designed especially for mothers of young children. The Art of Motherhood program focuses on supporting and nurturing mothers of young children to connect with themselves and a community of moms by engaging in the creative process of sharing their stories through art and writing. The Art of Motherhood program offers monthly workshops, as well as publication opportunities for mother artists and writers through the online Art of Motherhood Community Gallery.

Here in Boston, Baby Andreas’s recent hobbies include tentatively engaging in conversation with inanimate objects, squealing in delight, and laughing at our cats, Hazel and Vinnie—who, to his credit, are pretty funny.

Fondly,

MARA VOUKYDIS | maravee@gmail.com

ARYN SPERANDO | arynsperandio@yahoo.com

Zachary Hurwitz writes, “My wife of five years and I welcomed our first son, Ilan Mateo, in January 2016. We both found new jobs in the D.C. area, where we’ve been living since 2015, after two moves from Oakland, Calif., and Austin, Texas. We’re grateful to have reconnected with Eric Hoover and family, and Chris Saenger ’01 and family, and hope to do so again soon.“

Molly Bruce Barton writes, “In 2014, I taught a course at Wesleyan, the senior seminar in the Writing Certificate program. I left my role as global digital director at Penguin Random House to found Serial Box (serialbox.com), the HBO of reading. Last year, I married television and film producer, Jack Turner, at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island, N.Y. And this year we had our first child, Clyde Lucien Turner. He was born on March 30, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces, measuring 22.5 inches. Tall boy.”

Keefe Murren writes, “This year I started as managing director of FilmAid International. I’m really interested in getting the Wesleyan community involved with our work. E-mail me at keefemurren@gmail.com.”

Avery Esdaile | wesleyan2000@gmail.com

Jessica Sanders was interviewed by Girl Talk HQ to discuss her 2010 documentary, March of the Living, which tells the tale of the last generation of Holocaust survivors who traveled to Poland to retrace the death march from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

Chad Bartell lives in Madison, Wis., working as an in-house counsel with Springs Window Fashions, LLC, a national manufacturer and seller of window covering products. He and his wife, Julie, have two boys: Nolan (8) and Sawyer (7). He finds time to make music, playing drums, and steelpan in several projects. Chad visited Paul Stewart in Portland, Ore., and talked wistfully of their old Wes band, Uncle Trouble, and about possibly reuniting for our 20th Reunion!

Ursula Ogno Sfraga lives in Fairfield, Conn., with her two sons and works in New York City as a senior account director for a digital marketing agency. She attended the Wesleyan Writers Conference this summer on a scholarship for a nonfiction manuscript she submitted. In April 2015, she was a doula to Meredith Tobias Powers ’00, and her husband, John Powers, for the birth of their daughter, Clementine Catherine.

Julenne Farrar Mounts lives in Maui with her husband, Dwight, and two kids, Zoë (9) and Luke (6). They see Stefan Schaefer ’94 and family often as their daughters are in the same class at Haleakala Waldorf School. Julenne’s family spent the summer outrigger paddling, playing with their new puppy, Comet, camping, and building a school store named The Pepper Tree on the Waldorf campus. They will return to the East Coast for the winter holidays and spend time with Julenne’s housemates from 27 Brainerd: Rachel Ostrow, Hannah Gladstein, and Alissa Farber.

Michael Hakim and his wife, Aram, have two daughters, Skyler and Lexington. He is a real estate investor and travel documentarian.

Lindsay Grajewski Beros lives in Rochester, Mich., with her husband and three kids. In addition to her obstetrician-gynecologist practice, Lindsay began studying photography after the birth of her second child. In July, her portfolio was accepted to Click Pro, a network of professional photographers and independent artists. She is now a frequent contributor to the photography blog, Click Pro Daily Project.

Sean Huse and his wife, Ali, have three boys (ages 7, 5, and 2). Sean is in his 18th year at Public Consulting Group in Boston. They see their Wes friends in and around Boston: Geoff Dailey, Tim Higgins, Madhu Kannapiran, Avery Esdaile ’00, Sean O’Brien ’00, Matt Hochstein ’00, Josh Meyer ’00, Joe Griffin ’00, Josh Janelli ’01, Bryan McBeth ’02, and Brandon McBeth ’02. Sean ran into Pete Czerepak in August and they made plans for a beer with Geoff Dailey and Tim Syrett. They all work on the same street within 100 yards of each other.

Divya Kumar and Dan Koulomzin live in Jamaica Plain with their two kids (Anand, 9, and Josie, 7). Divya provides perinatal support at Southern JP Health Center as part of a state-funded postpartum depression pilot program she helped create. She continues to help improve perinatal mental healthcare as a member of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Commission on Postpartum Depression. Last summer, she presented at the Minority Mental Health Summit in Birmingham and had an article on racism and microaggressions in new moms’ groups published on The Huffington Post.

After 11 years as a case manager for kids with developmental disabilities, Jen Massie went back to school to get her second master’s (first was social work) in behavioral health. She spent a year studying perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and how to integrate treatment in a culturally sensitive fashion into a primary healthcare setting. Jen is expecting her first baby this fall.

And more new additions: Danielle Lazier gave birth to twins, Ari and Phoenix, on Aug. 12. She lives in San Francisco selling residential real estate as a broker-owner with Keller Williams San Francisco. Diana Glanternik and her husband, Jonah Cohen, welcomed their first daughter, Ila Lucia Cohen, on Sept. 2. Farrah Darbouze, her wife, Jessica Heard, and their dog, Idgy, welcomed their son, Jordan Thomas Heard, in March. On July 1, Valerie Leon gave birth to her first child, William Mateo Cuadrado, Jr. She works for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

On Aug. 21, Mia Lipman married Chris Irwin in Seattle, where she’s been living since 2011. It was a perfect day with family and friends, including Kate Holbein Rademacher, Josh Dubansky ’01, and Shanna Handel.

Erik Rueter is director of marketing and communications for Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. Erik enjoys working at W&J because it evokes many memories of Wesleyan.

Arthur Baraf lives in Pawtucket, R.I., with his wife and two daughters. This is his 11th year as a principal at the Met High School. He was named a Students at the Center Distinguished Fellow.

Shoshanna Cole lives in Ithaca, N.Y. She completed her PhD in planetary geology at Cornell last year and now teaches physics, astronomy, planetary science, and sustainable energy at Ithaca College. She’s involved in the Ithaca College Contingent Faculty Union and volunteers as a master gardener with the Cornell Cooperative Extension. This summer she organized a gathering of Ithaca-area alumni, ranging from the 1970s through the 2010s! They had an indoor picnic and then watched a local production of In the Heights.

Kenny Rios completed his master’s in human resource management with a concentration in organization development. He works as a senior technical recruiter for the Pentagon.

Jason Wong and Pao-Lin Tien moved to the D.C. area this summer. Jason works for a biotech firm and Pao-Lin works for the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Their two girls (Zoe, 6, and Emma, 1) are happy to have daddy home all the time now.

Alex Rose and her husband, Dan, live in Boulder, Colo., where Alex works as a bird biologist and education and outreach specialist at the University of Colorado. They have a 2-year-old son and another on the way. They annually trek to the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska for fun and research. In Boulder, Alex is neighbors and friends with Sarah Elmendorf and her family, and had a fun visit with her freshman year roommate, Eve Andrias.

Laura Zaks spent Labor Day visiting Louisville, Ky., to celebrate the 40th birthday of her freshman roommate Virginia Gray. They celebrated with Rachel Ostrow, Jesse Ashlock, Jason Daniel Schwartz ’00, Wiley Bowen ’00, Harrison Owen ’98, and Juliet Gray ’92.

Ed. note: Our apologies to Russell Isaacson. We spelled his last name incorrectly in the previous issue and regret our error.

C. Darryl Uy | darryl.uy@gmail.com

Kevin Kumler | kevinkumler@gmail.com

Jason writes for this issue: Most of us are celebrating our 40th birthdays this year. Who would have believed time would go by so fast? At Ian Tamayo’s 40th birthday party in New York City, I got to see my great friend, Maier Negugogor, who is living in Connecticut and has started a private practice in immigration law. I also got to see Chotsani Sackey who is living in New York City and working for a technology company.

Here’s what’s going on with some other fellow classmates:

Amy Barnes writes, “I’ve been happily living in the great Pacific Northwest (Redmond, Wash.) for the last couple of years with my fiancé, Noel Anderson, and our beautiful baby girl, Sarah (born last year). I’m enjoying my new role at AKT Wealth Advisors while nourishing my liberal arts spirit with writing workshops and volunteer work. Our Seattle Wes community lost a great friend and leader with the passing of Nick Waltner ’86.”

Dorothy Warner writes, “I live in Belmont, Mass., with my son, Alexander, who regularly and excitedly declares that he loves kindergarten (and Minecraft). We love biking to his school. I work with kids and adults as a clinical psychologist in Newton. I often see Becca Gerner and Hans Schroder ’99. In addition to world peace and an end to poverty, my hopes for the future include another Clinton presidency with Sanders in the Cabinet and getting to see Hamilton.”

Sarah Miller Lipton is living in LA with her husband, Glenn, and their two boys, Emmett (3 years old) and Ezra (22 months). Sarah works part-time as a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, aka “physiatrist,” in Santa Monica, focusing primarily in electrodiagnostic medicine.

Nancy Shane writes, “I just completed my PhD in aerospace sciences at the University of North Dakota. My research focused on the background, experience, and qualifications of pilots entering the regional airline industry. I also made a big move to the Midwest, where I am now the director of pilot sourcing and industry outreach at Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. So far Minneapolis has been fantastic, although winter hasn’t hit yet. I know I have a fantastic new parka in my future.”

Patrick Butler writes, “I got married in April (featured in The New York Times), and Michael Van Nimwegen got ordained to officiate the wedding. He broke his arm at my bachelor party in Alaska in February, and still managed to look good in a tux just six weeks later.”

Brodie Welch celebrated the 13th anniversary of her Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinic in Corvallis, Ore. Her new podcast, A Healthy Curiosity, which explores what it takes to be well in a busy world, will help your commute fly by. (You can find it on iTunes.) She’s also enjoying helping her full-time step-kids navigate eighth and 12th grade. Marrying a widower four years ago, she managed to skip over the sticky toddler years.

Justin Pidot spends most of his time in Denver, where he received tenure at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. This fall, he is on a leave of absence from academia and has joined the Obama administration, where he serves as the deputy solicitor for land resources at the Department of the Interior. It’s quite a change in pace, and he’s having a great time in D.C.

Abe Forman-Greenwald traveled to Liberia to film a short documentary focused on First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to promote her Let Girls Learn initiative. Letgirlslearn.gov is dedicated to improving education opportunities for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school.

Margaret Salazar has exciting news: “I am honored that Oregon Governor Kate Brown has asked me to serve as director of Oregon Housing and Community Services, our state housing agency. I look forward to leading the agency to expand housing opportunities for Oregonians in need.”

In March, Rebecca Alson-Milkman and Craig Thomas ’97 welcomed their second baby, nine years after her brother, Elliot. Celia Genevieve Thomas is named in memory of Rebecca’s mother, Sheila, and for the patron saint of Paris.

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

It’s hard to believe that almost 20 years have passed since that rainy day in May of 1997 when we bid our farewells and moved on and out to the wide, wacky, post-Wes world. And it’s not too early to start making plans to join us for Reunion & Commencement Weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, May 25 to 28. We’d love to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who shared their latest news or just e-mailed to say hi.

Michelle Conceison writes in from Nashville where she’s moved her music marketing and management company, Market Monkeys. They manage Canadian songwriter Rose Cousins and pop/folk duo Fortunate Ones. Michelle is the president of the board of directors of Folk Alliance International and teaches at Northeastern. “I am part of a dream team launching a new online arts administration graduate program. This fall I will be teaching Strategic Planning in Arts & Cultural Organizations.” She’d love to connect with any Wes alums in the area.

Melissa Feldberg Whipps writes to us from Syracuse, where she is the director of foundation relations at Syracuse University. “We have been enjoying a beautiful Central New York summer and I am pursuing my master’s in public administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse.” She’s also a mom to two daughters, Evelyn (5) and Amelia (7). Her husband, Chris, is an associate professor of biology at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse.

Sasha Harris-Cronin is living in San Francisco with her partner, Nathan Taylor, and their 4-year-old, Shannon Harris-Taylor. Sasha has spent the last 14 years making interactive museum exhibits and leading edge installations for museums and corporations around the country. She just finished one of her favorite projects to date, which allowed her to work with the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. As she explains, “Together, we created a tactile control interface that allows folks with any range of sight to control audio and video equipment in complex conference rooms.” Sasha also teaches interaction design in the MFA program at California College of the Arts.

Matt Mulvey and his wife, Katie Sacksteder, became parents to Liam James Mulvey. Matt and Katie are also leading their immuno-oncology company, BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., into the first-in-human testing of their lead cancer killing virus T-Stealth.

Aileen Nagle McDonough runs a communications business in the Providence area, 3am Writers. This year, she spoke at WordCamp RI, a WordPress conference for developers, designers, and business owners all over New England. She also stopped by Wesleyan, when she was in Middletown to trace her ancestry in the Connecticut-based Schaghticoke Native American tribe. She and her husband, Kirk, traveled to Toronto for the final tour of the Tragically Hip.

From LA, Madeleine Perez writes, “After many years as a journalist at ABC News in New York, I switched careers and coasts and became a real estate agent. I’ve been in LA now for more than four years with my husband and almost 5-year-old son. If any Wesleyan people are looking for some real estate help in SoCal they can reach me at madeleine@kw.com.”

As for your class secretaries, we are happy to report that we got to hang out in NYC when Jess came to visit from Phoenix. Also, Jess is thrilled to have a book recommendation to share: “I read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and couldn’t put it down!” Sasha is obsessed with the Moth podcast, which consists of “people telling short true stories—Some are dark, some are funny, many are both.”

We can’t wait to see all of you in May! We wish you a peaceful start to 2017 and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Jessica Shea Lehmann | jessica.lehmann@gmail.com

Sasha Lewis Reisen | alewisreisen@gmail.com