Class Notes

NEWSMAKERS | 2000s NEWSMAKER EDUARDO MEDINA ’00 Eduardo Medina ’00, MD, MPH, co-authored “Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives—The Role of Health Professionals,” published last December in the New England Journal of Medicine. Working with colleagues at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, the article addresses the link between premature deaths, both in the criminal justice system and in the healthcare system in America. Medina’s integration of social justice and medicine, he notes, actually echoes a history of political activism among Latin American physicians, like Che Guevara and Salvador Allende, something he studied as a Latin American Studies major, even while on the pre-med track at Wesleyan. After Wesleyan, Medina earned advanced degrees at the University of Minnesota.

Scott Cunningham and his wife, Christina Frigo, recently celebrated the birth of their daughter, Ada. Scott lives in Miami where he serves as the director of the O, Miami Poetry Festival. Melissa Stevens and Robert Debbane welcomed their second son, Sami Alexander Debbane, born July 8. Shawn Green is attempting a career change, from education to engineering. He’s working on a degree and working at Covestro, a polymer company.

Caroline Cho writes, “I’m enjoying my new job as communications manager for WW Sales at F5 Networks based in Seattle. Juggling a career and managing the role of mom to three keeps me pretty busy and leaves little time for myself. When I do have some free time, you can find me training for Ragnar or aspiring to be a CrossFit athlete. Would love to sync with other Wes grads in the area!”

Eric Steffen writes, “After having great difficulty finding jeans that fit my soccer player’s thighs, I recently started my own custom denim business in Brooklyn called FITTED Underground. Find out more about us at fitted.nyc or on Instagram at FITTED.underground.”

Trace Peterson writes, “I’m a trans-woman poet, publisher, and professor. I currently teach at Yale University and Hunter College. I run a small press called EOAGH Books. A book I published and wrote the foreword to, Succubus in My Pocket, by Kari Edwards, won the first-ever Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Poetry this past year. It’s a new award that was just created, and a significant milestone in LGBT literature.”

If anyone is interested in joining the Class of 2000 secretaries, please let us know. We would love to have you on the team!

Avery Esdaile | wesleyan2000@gmail.com

Greetings ’99ers! We’re either so busy surviving the throes of the “sandwich” years between caring for younger children and aging parents, or everyone in our class is starting a company in stealth mode and doesn’t want to talk about it. Only a handful of submissions this time. If you enjoy reading this column, please take a few minutes to send us your update for the next column. Most of us recently turned 40 or are about to. Why not share what you’re doing for your 40th? It’s only through your submissions that we have anything to write! On to the news:

Eli Beckerman was excited to share the news that he got married this fall in the Berkshires, to the lovely Lauren Greenberg. The couple was thrilled to celebrate with Greg Brodsky, Matt Thomas, Adrienne Woike, Amy Schneider, Justin Lee, Roger Yang, and Ben Welch ’98. Eli also shared that Zi Mei, who got married last fall, “is the beaming new father of Hunter.”

Jennifer Massie finished her second master’s in August (first one was social work, second one in behavioral health). And on Oct. 6, her first child, Eli Joseph Massie-Sage, was born.

Darryl Uy and Bob are enjoying newlywed life during their first winter in Lewiston, Maine, where Darryl is the new director of admission at Bates College. I (Kevin) still enjoying the madness of balancing life in a growth company (Zocdoc, best way to find a new health care provider!) and a growth family (three kids between ages of 4 and 5).

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

Kevin Kumler | kevinkumler@gmail.com

As I (Marcus) write this edition of our class notes, I await a visit by Michael Roth ’78 to San Francisco where he will discuss Wesleyan’s “Beyond 2020” vision and plan. Wesleyan has built generations of leaders who are able to work across disciplines and sectors, apply critical thought to the world around us, and compel others to action through articulation of a clear, inspiring vision. It’s clear to me that now, more than ever, these qualities are important to build a more just world—and it’s heartening to see our classmates work so hard to make a positive difference in a variety of ways.

In November, Brooks Berndt and Romarico “Chief” Nieto were part of a delegation that met with leaders from both the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the demonstrators opposing the Dakota access pipeline. Based in Cleveland, Brooks is the minister for environmental justice for the United Church of Christ. Together with Chief, owner and operator of Apache Stoneworks in Denver, he sought to spread a message of peace, prayer, and justice.

Jack & Louisa: Act 3, by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead ’98, is the third in the popular middle school series about two musical theater nerd best friends from Penguin Young Readers.

I enjoyed a fancy breakfast with Kate Haviland, her husband, Edo, and their new son, Elan, while Kate visited San Francisco for a conference. Based in Boston, Kate is chief business officer for Blueprint Medicines, a biotechnology company focused on an innovative approach to treating diseases driven by the abnormal activation of kinases, like cancer.

Over the past few months I’ve had the chance to see Lindsey Fitzgibbons and her family. Lindsey and her husband, Mike, are raising two beautiful boys while she continues to work in the health and wellness field in San Francisco. She is a practicing depth hypnotherapist who helps her clients heal traumas, work through current and past relationship issues, and recognize and address destructive patterns.

Thanks to my work with Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, I am lucky to be in near-constant contact with Makaela Kingsley, whose leadership and mentorship continue to amaze me. If you haven’t had the chance to meet some of the Wesleyan students and recent alumni who have learned from Makaela and her network of social entrepreneurs, I highly encourage you to do so. You’ll undoubtedly feel the same sense of hope and optimism I feel after my meetings and conversations with these inspiring students.

It’s a short and sweet edition of class notes this round. Please send your news to me and Jason!

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Happy spring, everyone! We’re looking forward to seeing you in Middletown at Reunion, May 25-28. We’re already planning to be in line at O’Rourke’s early on Saturday morning.

Kenneth Andersen writes in: “I’m going on 15 years in Mexico City, which is hard to believe as I write this. My wife and I have two beautiful children that keep us busy, ages 5 and 3. I started an organizational development consulting and executive training business a few years ago, Conversari Communication, following my passion in building bridges between Mexico and the global marketplace. It’s starting to thrive, and despite what election results would have you believe, we expect good things to happen in Mexico in the coming years. If you’re passing through town, I’d love to hear from you!”

Cary Kleinman and his family are living in Cheviot Hills, Calif., “around the block from Ben Lee ’95.” Cary and his wife have two children, Ethan, 2, and Sloane, 4 months. He works as a managing director at Oaktree Capital Management.

Hope to see you in May!

Jessica Shea Lehmann | jessica.lehmann@gmail.com

Sasha Lewis Reisen | alewisreisen@gmail.com

Greetings! Here’s the latest from our classmates:

Kate Baker is living on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, where she runs a small B&B in the town of Punta Mita. In November, she gave birth to her first child, a girl. She’s enjoyed visits from Wes friends Koyalee Chanda, Alissa Pines, Jody Kuh ’95, and Jason Blalock ’94.

Kristin Mercer just spent a sabbatical last year in Vancouver. While there, she and her family had a West Coast reunion with Miriam Colvin ’98, Dan Helfet-Hilliker, Mike Cantor, and their families.

Pam Alt writes: “I have been living in Seattle for almost 18 years. Fourteen of those years have been spent as an acupuncturist in private practice, a challenging and rewarding field. I do a lot of work with pregnant women and have been blessed to attend and assist in many births. I have an adorable 77-pound rescue dog, Archie, who keeps me active, and a niece and two nephews living in Boise whom I don’t see often enough. Same is true for all you lovely Wes folks. I think of you often and wish you love, laughter, peace, and health in these challenging times.”

From Bill Macomber: “I’m heading up to Sundance next week, to premiere a film that I am co-producing, directed by Miguel Arteta ’89, and written by Mike White ’92. It’s called Beatriz at Dinner, and it stars Selma Hayek as a massage healer who gets trapped at a conservative dinner party with John Lithgow, who plays a real estate developer in the mold of Donald Trump. The film should be in theaters later this year.”

The Gender Quest Workbook: A Guide for Teens & Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity, a comprehensive workbook for transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) teens, by Rylan Jay Testa PhD, Deborah Coolhart PhD, and Jayme Peta ’96 MA, is out now from Instant Help Books/New Harbinger Publications.

Margaret Wright and her husband, Jon, welcomed their second child, Lily Katherine, in July 2015. Lily joins big sister Olivia, age 5, and canine sister, Kaylee. Margaret works as a senior research associate at the American Academy of Pediatrics and is always looking to connect with Wes folks in the Chicago area.

Jimmy Liao is happy to announce that he received tenure in the department of biology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He works at the Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience, which is on the beach in St. Augustine.

And last but not least, news from the NYC area:

Benjamin Meyer reports: “My wife, Beth, and I have spent the last year-and-a-half having a NYC adventure. We came here from Los Angeles, with our 4-year-old son, Bash, so that Beth could write for the ABC show, Quantico. Maybe we will be back in LA in a few months. Maybe we will stay forever. My feature, Fools, did the festival circuit last year, is now available on Amazon Prime, and will be on iTunes in March.”

Ben Selkow and Katharine Bailey ’97 and their two children moved from Brooklyn to Montclair, N.J., in December 2015. Ben writes, “Kat is at The Wall Street Journal. I came off of 2016 having directed one feature documentary on PTSD, Buried Above Ground, and produced another on Dominican and Haitian deforestation, Death by a Thousand Cuts, which I made with director Jake Kheel ’99 and won the Audience Award at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival. Looking toward 2017, I directed all six episodes of a forthcoming docu-series on religion, faith, and spirituality for CNN called Believer with Reza Aslan that premieres in March. I worked with really brilliant minds in executive producer and showrunner, Liz Bronstein ’89.” See the trailer: cnn.com/shows/believer.

Shola Olatoye tells us that she, Matthew Strozier, and their three kids were happy to host Phil Choi ’95, his wife, Sue, and their two children over the holidays for a BBQ dinner.  They were joined by Tracey Gardner, along with Randy Slaughter, her husband, and their daughter.

Barrett Feldman married Glenn Halpern in September. In attendance from the class of 1996 were Sabrina McCormick, Sheilaja Rao, and Carrie Adler. Professor David Schorr signed the ketubah as one of two witnesses. Barrett has moved her office, PSF Projects, from Brooklyn to the Soho/Chinatown/Noho area. Her architecture firm recently hired their first Wesleyan graduate, Evan Ortiz ’16.

Thanks to everyone who sent in updates! Keep them coming!

Dara Federman | darasf@yahoo.com 

Dacque Tirado | dacquetirado@yahoo.com

Katy writes for this issue: I’m excited to be sharing your news. Lots to report in 2017!

Leigh (Copperman) Burchell writes: “Life remains groovy down here in North Carolina. Chris ’96 and I are kept busy by our three kids and spend a lot of time at lacrosse tournaments.  Our oldest started high school this year and has her eye on Wes for the film program. The election process was a doozy, both because we are passionate opponents of HB2, the so-called ‘bathroom bill’ here in N.C., but also because of my role running government relations for one of the world’s largest health IT companies. The positive is that my job is never boring!”

Rebecca Fulop writes: “I teach science at Mission High School in San Francisco where I’ve taught for the last 13 years. Recently a book was published about the teachers and remarkable students there (Mission High: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph, by Kristina Rizga). I have a 3-year-old daughter and live in Oakland with my husband. I’ve bumped into other Wes grads in our neighborhood.  We bought a fixer-upper a couple of years ago so our free time is completely spoken for!”

Sarah Yuhas Kirn writes: “I am currently serving as the acting assistant commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and enjoying life in Concord with my husband, Josh Kirn ’94, and two daughters.”

Ken Kwiatkowski writes: “Announcing the birth of our second child, Adam, born on Jan. 4.  My wife, Anna, and our first son, Roman, and I, are living in Jersey City, N.J.”  Congratulations, Ken!

Julia Lazarus writes: “I kicked off the new year by spending a lovely long weekend with Tammy (Tracy) Sufi ’94 and our mutual friend Sasha O’Connell (Barnard ’94) in Austin, Texas. Much has changed since we lived there in the 1990s, but still full of music, food, and dancing. In December in San Francisco, I got together with Christine O’Brien, Sarah Zaner ’94, and Zeke Volkert ’96; always a treat. And back in Providence, where I am assistant director of online learning and innovation at Brown University, I’m happy to have terrific Alison Perry ’94 in town, and Claire Reardon ’94 not too far away in New London. Appreciating the ongoing pleasures of the extended Wesleyan crew.”

Ben Lee writes: “Life is good in Los Angeles.  About a decade ago, I traded being a lawyer for brokering residential real estate. The market is booming and I have been busy with a development side business. I have a wife and three great sons. I stay active with Wes by hosting its Annual Admissions Reception for LA applicants every year, so look for it in October because alumni are always included.”

Jason Segal writes: “All good on this front, with fun time with family (Julia is now 3 and tri-lingual—English, Hebrew, and Spanish), and Ari is 11/2 and the smartest/sweetest kid ever. After eight years doing environmental finance, I co-founded a merchant bank called Swift Current focused on the same sectors—starting to really go well. Not seeing enough Wes folks, so please reach out!”

Stacy Theberge writes: “I’m still living outside of Portland, Maine, running after a busy 2-year-old and working with my husband at his animation company, Little Zoo Studio. We worked on the film Rock Dog, which came out in February. If you haven’t seen it yet, track it down! It’s good!”

Lara Tupper writes: “I just got engaged to (singer-songwriter and lovely human being) Bobby Sweet! We live in the Berkshires and often perform together as a guitar-vocals duo. I teach writing workshops at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and I’m at work on a new book, a memoir/ghost story. I loved reading (former Clark 4 resident) Dave Biello’s The Unnatural World. Kudos!”

Matvei Yankelevich writes: “I’m in New York these last 20 years. I am a founding member of the editorial collective of the non-profit Ugly Duckling Press, soon to celebrate 25 years since its inception as a zine at Russian House at Wesleyan. We publish poetry, translation, essays, performance texts, and books by artists. I teach translation at Columbia University and I’m on the writing faculty at Bard College. My novella-in-fragments, Boris by the Sea, was just re-published in a new edition. I recently had dinner with Simone White ’93, now program director for the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church.”

Keep sending us your news and updates—we’d love to hear from you!

Bo Bell | bobell.forreal@gmail.com 

Katy McNeill | mcneill40@gmail.com

Welcome to the latest edition of the class notes. As I (Caissa) write to you (in mid-January), the weather in NYC area continues to vacillate between imitating spring and then suddenly dropping to Arctic temps.

Ethan Hollander is teaching political science at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. He says, “I loved learning at a liberal arts college, and figured there’d be nothing better than actually teaching at one.” His book just came out, Hegemony and the Holocaust: State Power and Jewish Survival in Occupied Europe, and he explained that “there aren’t many political scientists who approach historical topics like the Holocaust, but with my CSS background, the interdisciplinary approach came naturally.” He and his wife, an economist, who also works at Wabash, live in a beautiful house that is walking distance from work, along with their pet snake named George Michael.

Lin (Zhong) ter Horst is still on Maui, working on her fruit confections. Lin and her husband started Maui Fruit Jewels when they moved from China to Maui. It was a finalist for Best Product and Startup of the Year awards in 2016 from the Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association.

Jesse Hendrich is the PTO co-president for his kids’ public school in Brooklyn (PS 9) and is excited to be doing race and racism awareness workshops for staff, parents, and kids this coming month. The school has become a regular setting for affordable housing workshops on a monthly basis in an effort to preserve diversity and equity in the school and neighborhood. Jesse has been in touch with a few ’94 alums: Jonah Ross, Mark Ladov (who lives down the street), Scott Rosenberg (check out his podcast, the History Channeler), Aaron Passell, Nicole Davis, and many more here in Brooklyn. “Also, I am friends with many younger Wesleyanites like Scott Dvorin ’00 and Carolyn Cryer ’01, who are active parents in the PTO.”

Kristy Scanlan serves as co-president of the non-profit organization, Women in Animation (womeninanimation.org) in her spare time. In the past three years, membership has grown to 1,500 members. Her day job is VP of business development for the animation and games group at Technicolor in Hollywood.

Michelle Harris Silbert enjoyed returning to work after a 10-year break raising her daughters. She has made a career shift from social work into career and life coaching. She especially enjoys coaching women in transition, and college students with ADD/ADHD, and find this work both creative and rewarding. Her company is called Ignite Your Sparks! Holistic Career Coaching. Michelle is based in Acton, Mass., but also works by phone and virtually.

Larry Sidney shared big news that he and his wife Kerstin are pregnant with their first baby, due in March. He writes, “Can’t wait to be a dad!” He is competing for the Israeli National Skeleton Team, spending the winter traveling to bobsled tracks around the world, typically training for three days, and then racing for two. Larry is hoping to crack the top 100 in the world this year, with a shot at the Olympics next year. He reconnected with his best friend from Wesleyan, Kristin Gross. “It turns out that she is on the West Coast like me, and doing quite well. After 20-plus years, it’s great to have my Wes friend back!”

Matthew C. Solomon left government service after 15 years at the Department of Justice and the SEC to join the law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton’s D.C. office as a partner.  While he is sad to leave the government, he is excited for the opportunity to practice law at a terrific firm.

Ken Barnett is proud to be performing off-Broadway this spring in The Light Years, a sharp, original, and moving new play by The Debate Society, at Playwrights’ Horizons.

So long for now. Looking forward to hearing more from you all. Send Samera and me your news, notes and updates—we’d love to hear from you.

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

Hi, all! Here are the latest updates from some of your classmates:

Karen Powell is serving as the inaugural Forge Innovation Clinic Fellow at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, working with fellow law faculty to build a new entrepreneurial law clinic. As of March, she’ll be moving with her family to Melbourne, Australia, to teach tax law at Deakin University’s law school. Any Wes alums in Melbourne? Find her at kp@renthelena.com. Don’t worry, the distillery she founded in Montana is in good hands with new owners.

And speaking of Australia, Jodi Samuels writes, “My spouse, Evan, and I spent the holidays this year in Australia, starting in Melbourne and then heading to Sydney to celebrate New Year’s Eve. I’m about to mark my five-year anniversary at the California Primary Care Association (CPCA), where I’m the deputy director of development and training. I’m responsible for all of our grants management and stewardship, and I also supervise our statewide training and education program, which provides Web-based and in-person learning opportunities for staff and leadership at more than 1,100 health center sites across the state.

“Outside of CPCA, I’m a volunteer at WEAVE, a local non-profit that provides services to women, children, and families who are survivors of domestic violence or abuse. I’m taking Spanish classes at a local community school and trying to work on my pronunciation so that I don’t speak Spanish with a French accent! French is my “first” second language, as I earned my PhD. in French Literature. I continue to enjoy life here in Sacramento with Evan and our two adorable feline fur babies, Calypso and Captain Jack.”

Noah Rosen became the chair of the Academic Headache Center Consortium of the American Headache Society and an associate editor for the journal, Headache.

Brett Sokol wrote, “I’m thrilled to report that Letter16 Press, the publishing house I co-founded to release limited edition hardcover books of vintage photography—yes, old fashioned ink and paper—received its official nonprofit 501(c)(3) status from the federal government. Definitely the first time I’ve ever been happy to get a letter from the IRS! Our first book, an intimate look at Provincetown’s early 1960s bohemian scene, drew raves from both Art in America magazine and the filmmaker John Waters, and is already sold out. Our second book, out now, captures Miami in all its early 1980s falling-apart-at-the-seams glory (letter16press.com).

“A tip of the proofreading hat to my wife, Lisa Dombrowski ’92, who, when she’s not patiently explaining to me the proper use of ‘which’ vs. ‘that’ for the thousandth time, continues her own work as an associate professor in Wesleyan’s film studies department. (Yes, we watch a lot of movies!) Otherwise, I’m still commuting between Miami and New York (and racking up those frequent flier miles), and still writing for Ocean Drive, where I’m the arts editor, and for The New York Times, where I regularly contribute stories about the art world (including a profile of the new Pérez Art Museum Miami director, Franklin Sirmans ’91).”

Jason Moss has been doing a fair bit of traveling. He is expanding his data science training business, Metis, from New York and San Francisco to Chicago and Seattle.

Arik Greenberg and the nonprofit he founded in 2011, the Institute for Religious Tolerance, Peace and Justice, is gearing up for its second annual interfaith march in Los Angeles (#InterfaithMarchLA), to promote interfaith collaboration and unity, especially between the Abrahamic faiths. Arik also won the USPA Masters 45-49 Classic Raw 242 pound class in his first powerlifting meet in June (he was the only competitor in that class!). Nevertheless, he is aiming for two state records in that class very soon.

Kim Frederick wrote, “I want to share that I’m excited to go to D.C. to march in the Women’s March with Susan Chun ’93!”

Thanks to all who wrote in! Please keep the news coming. As I say to my students, “Let’s hear from some of you quieter folks!”

Warm regards,

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Greetings and salutations from Paul in D.C., where nothing (and I mean nothing) is normal. Luckily just down the road is a sign of light—the 25th Reunion where we can all gather to talk about anything else. I’m already psyched up, and the posts on our Facebook page suggest I’m not alone. If you haven’t done so already, join our page, Wesleyan University Class of 1992. Folks are planning pre-events and there’s an effort to round up some duffers to play some golf. Please just tell Sam Longley that high score does not win.

Christopher F. Arndt ’92 argues that conservatism is not what it pretends to be and that the American Right created Donald Trump in The Right’s Road to Serfdom: The Danger of Conservatism Unbound: From Hayek to Trump (Bulkington Press).

In case you need some ice-breaker material on the latest from your classmates:

In November, Jeff Kipnis and Lightning Squirrel, along with other comic book creators, participated in a fundraising effort for Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center, a nonprofit agency that delivers advanced disease management and quality end-of-life care. Proceeds benefit patients and families served by BHH.

Unbuttoned: The Art and Artists of Theatrical Costume Design, by E. Shura Pollatsek ‘92, with photographs by Mitchell D. Wilson, is out now from Routledge Press.

Doni Gewirtzman, law professor at NYU, made his CNN debut in January to explain the powers given to the president and answer the question of what Trump can and cannot do legally. I’m thinking he may be asked to come back…often.

Bill Kim, oncologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also hit the TV. He runs a research lab that was featured on 60 Minutes for their work with IBM Watson and how to apply artificial intelligence technology to cancer genomics and patient care. Search for “Robot Sofia” on the CBS News website and you can see him about 10 minutes into the episode.

A Tilted World, a book of poems by Carol Gabrielson Fine MALS ’92, is out now from Antrim House Books.

After two years of living in London, Anne Paris and family are back in Oregon, where she is teaching art, writing, and getting deeply involved in local activism in Portland. Speaking of Brexit (OK, that was a stretch), Simon Fulford, his wife, Clare, who he married in 2016, and his sons, Max and Alec, also recently relocated from London to Portland. For the past six years, Simon ran the UK arm of a South African NGO, Khulisa (khulisa.co.uk), delivering high-impact, short-duration violence-reduction and offender rehabilitation programs in English prisons and schools.

Sasha Cummings accepted an appointment at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as a circuit mediator and is an adjunct professor at USF School of Law teaching civil procedure and mediation.

Joan Matelli took a break from her year of wanderlust to canvass for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire with Ilana Wind Newell ’94. After the holidays she hit road for a week in Cuba with William Kirsner ’91.

Karl Mergenthaler lives in Westport, Conn., with wife Stephanie, and their two kids, Camille and Elise. He got together for dinner with Christine Padian Bolzan, who is heading up the committee for our Reunion. Christine also serves on the President’s Council.

Chris Arndt and his wife, Patty, and their two children, Alden and Graham, moved from NYC to Telluride, Colo., two years ago. He recently published his first book, The Right’s Road to Serfdom, The Danger of Conservatism Unbound: From Hayek to Trump. He also had a piece in Guardian Liberty Voice that mentioned Wesleyan.

Mike Gaddis has been named a principal at Fish & Richardson in the intellectual property litigation group. His practice includes complex business litigation, with a particular focus on trade secret litigation and qui tam/whistleblower litigation.

Kathryn Edgerton-Tarpley teaches Chinese history at San Diego State University.  Kathryn is married to an American Baptist pastor, Van Tarpley, and they have two boys, Peter and Isaac.

So you’re now caught up. Make your reservation and we will see you at Reunion.

Adam Berinsky | berinsky@mit.edu 

Paul Coviello | coviellop01@alum.darden.edu

April Cotte lives on the beach in Pacifica, Calif., with her partner, a retired firefighter, and their 6-year-old, Barry. April homeschools using Hand in Hand Parenting and Deep Nature Connection Mentoring. For 15 years, she facilitated Outward Bound wilderness and cross-cultural expeditions for adults in the northern Chihuahuan desert along the Texas/Mexico border and Copper Canyon. Along the way, she built relationships with local Jumano-Apache residents and knowledge keepers. She continues to support indigenous relations and protect their way of life. April enjoyed the recent visits of Gayatri Gopinath and Tacy Trowbridge ’90.

Julie Yannatta writes, “Some of you took, or remember, the Kundalini yoga class I taught on the lawn in front of Olin at Reunion. Well, my adventures in yoga continue, including teaching at Stars, Space and the Future, a conference in Turks and Caicos in August. I also have a record label called Be Why and we released an album of yogic mantra called, White Sun II, by the artist White Sun. White Sun II was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Age Album.

Nik Bates-Haus had a great time seeing so many people at Reunion, including Michael Reinke, Spencer Boyer (and his lovely wife, Clare Stroud, and their adorable children), Robin Ekiss, Erin Branagan, Adam Hahn, Stuart Rockoff, Kerim May ’93, Alisa Rosen, Elizabeth Reifke, and special guest, Canaan Folk-Reinke, born at Wes in 1991. Nik hung out at Malcom X house, caught one of the final shows at Eclectic, and I think we can all agree with his statement: “Wow, do today’s students have it great with the midnight grilled cheese truck!”

In December, the Healthy School Food Maryland coalition, which Lindsey Parsons coordinates, released School Food Environment Grades for every public school district in the state of Maryland. Check it out at healthyschoolfoodmd.org/2016_grades.php.

Out in my hometown of Chicago, Craig Mannarino has been accepted as a fellow into the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Membership is limited to 500 U.S. fellows under the age of 70. Craig’s areas of expertise include medical malpractice, automobile negligence, pharmaceutical mass torts, and other catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

Some Perfect Year, by Cameron Gearen ’91, is a book of poems out now from Shearsman Books.

Ann Goebel-Fabbri started her own private psychology practice. Leaving Joslin Diabetes Center gave her the flexible time to write Prevention and Recovery from Eating Disorders in Type 1 Diabetes: Injecting Hope (Routledge Press) in February. It’s based on interviews conducted with 25 women in recovery, and you can find it on Amazon.

Some great news: Jim Adolf published his first play, I Cannot Tell a Lie at George Washington School. It’s been performed in Maine and Michigan.

Justin Bass, who made sure I heard the original version of “Don’t Walk Away Renée” our frosh year, now lives in Berlin, where he’s moved to teach English. He plans to stay until sometime in 2018, perhaps longer. He’d love to reconnect with any Wes alumni passing through!

Renée K. Carl | rcarl@wesleyan.edu