Class Notes

First, some contributions from people who wrote in last time, but had to be bumped to this edition because you were all so fantastic at sending me notes. So while it may be a little out of date, here’s a dispatch from Tara Colton: “On Feb. 26, 2013, my husband Jed and I welcomed our son, Benjamin, into the world. He is the most wonderful, curious, beautiful, sweet, silly little boy. I apparently thought having a baby wasn’t enough change in one year, as I returned from maternity leave to a new job, leaving Mayor Bloomberg’s office to oversee program development and planning at FEGS, one of the largest health and human services agencies in the country. We live in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which has one of the best views (and the best tacos) in NYC.”

Chris and Wendy Jeffries are still enjoying life in Baltimore, though they are taking as many trips as they can in their spare time. During their recent travels, they have seen Brian Fair and Luke Cash in Boston and Liz Collins Bliss during a trip to Wesleyan where Wendy and Liz gave a presentation to students on using data and measuring outcomes for schools and non-profits. They also regularly see Adriana Jones Laser, who lives nearby. When they are not traveling, Chris is keeping busy working as a business ligation lawyer and Wendy manages training and evidence-based practice on international child protection issues for the U.S. branch of an international federation.

Steve Gray officiated at the wedding of Erica Gersowitz and Kagiso Bond at the end of November. They were thrilled that so many Wes alums were able to join them for the celebration in Anguilla, including Tanya Ellman, Rachel Chasan, Courtney Orange, Ben Leff, Saj Rahman ’03, Mariela Rosario ’02, Julio Pabon ’02, Dave Bowers, Martha King, and Chuck Duffney ’02.

Rachel Feinstein Stevens moved to Northampton, Mass., and welcomes all friends and passing alums for a visit in the Happy Valley, just an hour from campus. She now works with her husband at their firm, Maple Street Architects, and just completed a deep energy retrofit of their two-family home.

Andee Marksamer, a geologist for Chevron, writes, “My husband, Ken Downey, and I, and our 2-year-old son, Harrison, have been living in Bangkok, Thailand, since Feb. 2013. We are all thoroughly enjoying Thailand…eating yummy spicy food, meeting lots of new people, learning to speak Thai, and traveling throughout Asia.”

Jamie Chin sent in this happy news: “On March 29, 2014, my fiancé, Cory McArthur, proposed to me on Foss Hill at Wes.”

Anthony Clark and Megan Joiner write, “We welcomed our daughter, Arden Lucia Joiner-Clark, into the world on 11/12/13 in New Haven. Anthony finishes in the joint MBA and master of environmental science program at Yale in May. The family will be in Connecticut through the summer. Miller’s Pond, here we come!”

I had the sweetest, most fun visit when Jess Firestone blew into town to tour colleges with her completely awesome friend/former student Julizza in mid-March. After a number of years teaching elementary school in Oregon, Jess has an awesome adventure planned for next year: “I’m taking a much needed break from the testing culture of American public education to teach at Las Terrenas International School in the Dominican Republic. Whale season is January to March and I welcome all visitors to the beach town where I’ll be teaching.”

Have you noticed a new magazine called Modern Farmer on newsstands, basically everywhere? Did you know it is the outfit of our very own Reyhan Harmanci, chief editor? In its first year, the publication garnered two National Magazine Award (Aka ESME or Ellie) nominations. Unfortunately there is no ESME category for Excellence in Baby Animal Coverage, because then they’d be a triple threat.

Please keep the notes coming!

MARA VOUKYDIS | MaraVee@gmail.com

We’ve got some more babies joining our class! Karen Ferreira Amis and Greg Amis welcomed their future Wesleyan alumnus, Leonard “Leo” Amis, into the world on Jan. 3rd of this year.

Melissa Stevens and Rob Debbane had a son, Max Alexander Debbane, born Feb. 16th.

Elisabeth Watson (Schreiber) wrote: “My husband, Simon, and I welcomed our daughter, Maeve, into the world on the 18th of March, born at home and under water in Falmouth, England! Big brother Aidan loves his new little sister. I’ll be back teaching fitness classes on the beach to mums and little ones in a few weeks, once the dust settles.”

Anne Obelnicki and her husband, Chris, had a baby boy, named Alden, on November 14th.

Rhiannon Luyster writes, “My husband and I have been settled in Cambridge, Mass., for seven years now and love our quiet neighborhood near Harvard Square. I am teaching at Emerson College in the communications sciences and disorders department (with fellow Wes alum Joanne Lasker ’84) and continue to do autism research at Boston Children’s Hospital. This past September we welcomed our son, Hugh Luyster Polley. We can’t imagine a more charming little person to have in our family!”

Michelle Wimberly-Speach gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Isabel in October 2013. Michelle and her husband, Kheimon Speach, have two other children, Sanaa (age 10) and Kheimon Junior (age 7). Michelle is also in the process of obtaining her master’s degree in human resources and professional studies at Pennsylvania State University.

Ali Haider is working as an interventional cardiologist for a private practice in Western Massachusetts in the greater Springfield area.

Shawn Green now works as a physics tutor at the Berkshire School and has adopted a puppy.

In 2005 John Mailer co-wrote the book The Big Empty with his father, Norman Mailer. This book is the source of material for Two Mailers, a new play that brings this father-son dialogue to life on the stage. Actor Paul Sorvino of Goodfellas fame plays Norman, and Jordan Belfi of Entourage plays John Mailer. For more information, see: argonautnews.com/the-big-empty-comes-full-circle-in-two-mailers/.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey started her career as a teacher, then pursued an MBA at Wharton, and remained in education, leading Google’s K-12 team for several years. About a year ago, she left to start her current company, Zoobean, with her husband, Felix. At Zoobean, they curate apps and books, and then personalize them for each child (like Pandora for children’s apps and books). They were featured on Shark Tank on April 18.

Hilda Ives Wiley andAvery Esdaile
wesleyan2000@gmail.com

1999 ARCHIVES | HOME
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Class Notes has entered the social media age! Several submissions for this issue were first posted on WesConnect. The new magazine site (magazine.wesleyan.edu) also has a Class Notes section where we can post overflow information and photos, so please start submitting them!

Farrah Darbouze married Jessica Heard in December. The wedding was in Bethesda, and our classmate Nichole Morris was also in attendance.

Imani “Grace” Duncan-Price dropped us a note to let us know she is now based in Kingston, Jamaica. “I was honoured to be appointed a senator for the Government of Jamaica in 2012, so a significant part of life now focuses on reviewing laws for my country. But I still have my day job as chief strategy officer for JMMB Group (regional financial services company) and of course enjoying my young family as we all grow. So link me if you come this way. One love.”

You may have seen BatKid on the news this year? One of our classmates was involved! From Allegra Jones: “I’m happy to report that San Francisco’s BatKid saved Gotham City on Nov. 15! I’ve volunteered as a member of the Young Professional Advisory Council (YPAC) of the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation for seven years, and this was by far the most exciting, inspiring, community-building event in which I have participated. Seeing the city come together to help grant 5-year-old Miles’ wish to become BatKid was a true joy. #SFBatKid”

Mark Zubko and family are now living in Brooklyn. They recently moved back to the US from London. Mark’s wife, Alexandra, recently co-founded a travel-review company (Triptease).

As for your class secretaries, Darryl is continuing to take over Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, one admissions class at a time. Kevin and his wife survived their first year with twins (Owen and Norah), with their older daughter, Claire, pitching in to help. When not chasing toddlers, Kevin is helping ZocDoc expand its business across the U.S., providing real-time access to healthcare for all!

After the last Class Notes, Kevin heard from Beth Rauen Sciaino, who lives in nearby Morris County. Beth is the associate rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood, N.J. She and her husband have a daughter, 6, and son, 1.

We hope our class has a solid turnout for the 15-year Reunion in May…in the meantime, please send in your updates so we can share!

C. DARRYL UY | darryl.uy@gmail.com

KEVIN KUMLER | kevinkumler@gmail.com

Happy spring, fellow classmates! I hope this issue finds you nice and warm after a terrible winter. Here’s what’s going on…

Laura Kirk’s baby, Theo Kirk, arrived Aug. 19, 2013, and he is a total love.

For the last two years Ysette Guevara has been working to transition youth from NYC’s foster care system into fulfilling adult lives. She works most closely with a group of aspiring social entrepreneurs, ages 21 and up. You can read about their work at minds-on-fire.org.

Marcus Chung married his partner, Ryan Black, on April 4 in a small ceremony in San Francisco with a big party on April 5 to celebrate. It was a bit of a swim team reunion with Neil Seth, Jill Kantrowitz, Abby Posner, Emelie Gunnison, Penny Linge, Meaghan Reilly ’00, Alison Hirsch ’00, Leah Rosenblum ’99, and Lena Sadowitz ’99. Several other Wes friends arrived including Kate Haviland, Rebecca Knight, Meredith Hoffa, Sarah Margon, Sophie Middlebrook, Lisa Winegar and Doug Sabo ’95, and Becky Wildman-Trobriner ’03. Ryan and Marcus are grateful for the opportunity to be legally married in the state of California after nearly six years together.

Please make sure to keep us updated so we can share your news with our classmates. Take care.

MARCUS CHUNG | marcuschung98@gmail.com

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Happy 2014 four months into it! I’ve been deep into the books since I last checked in. Grad school has been keeping me quite the busy bee this semester. I’m lucky if I get to check in with everyone personally, but the power of social networking is wonderful. Social media is such a great way to stay connected and see what’s happening with everyone. It at least allows me to find a few updates here and there to report in. Sam Laybourne, wife Herran Bekele, and their two beautiful kids—son Skender and daughter Lulit, relocated back to New York in 2013. With the tough winter the East Coast had this season, I’m sure they miss the California sunshine and can’t wait for summer to arrive.

Read about Daniel Poliner’s #ThisIsWhy story about preparing for his first film, Jack, Jules, Esther & Me. You can visit danielpoliner.com to watch the trailer and for more information, but the film is available on iTunes, Amazon, cable on demand and many other platforms. Even my old In-Town roommate Christopher Andrews shared his own story on ThisIsWhy.wesleyan.edu. I love the nostalgic personal mini-essays on the site from so many generations. Definitely check it out when you get a chance, or better yet, contribute your own story.

Jose DeJesus was appointed head of the upper school at Packer in Brooklyn, N.Y., effective July 1. As a teacher and administrator, Jose has served at a variety of well-respected institutions throughout his career. Super confident, his biggest cheerleader is his wife, Andrea Rosario De Jesus, who is also a Packer alumna. Love seeing the Wes connection come full circle in another dimension.

One of my oldest Wes friends, Christopher Gore, wrote me to share the good news of boldly stepping into the entrepreneurial world with his own practice based in Mount Holly, N.J. Gore Law Office provides legal representation across a wide range of practice areas including: Night Court including DUI, Traffic and Municipal Ordinance violations; Estate Planning including Will, Power of Attorney, and Living Trusts; and much more. You can seek Chris’ services at glawoffice.org.

And speaking of entrepreneurs, Santi White, also known as Santigold, is doing the most these days. A March 2014 New York Magazine cited her latest movements by noting: “It’s been a year since Santigold released her last album, Master of My Make-Believe, but the artist (née Santi White) is now focused on two upcoming projects: a baby (‘I feel good!’ she says) and a new makeup collaboration with Smashbox Cosmetics.” Smashbox Santigold: The Santigolden Age Collection will be available this summer, 2014. How ultra-amazing for the singer/songwriter and mom-to-be. Congrats to Santi.

Until we meet again ’97ers, please e-mail or tweet me @BGunlimited.

Kimberly Cooper King
kimberly.king715@gmail.com

Koyalee Chanda writes in that she and Neal Brandenburg had their second baby girl, Noa Jayne Chanda Brandenburg, in August. Their older daughter, Ruby, is 5.5 years old and is very excited to have a real-life baby doll as a roommate. They are still living in Brooklyn (it will be 18 years this fall—yikes!) and regularly see a bunch of Wes folks (too many to mention by name!). What’s really cool is that their kids are starting to become close friends, so they’re back to doing dinner parties, only starting a couple of hours earlier. Neal is working as a lawyer for the Department of Education of New York City, where he sees Debbie Marcus, who also works there, on a regular basis.

She also mentioned that another Wes ’96er, Adam Peltzman, has created a new animated series for Nickelodeon called Wallykazam!. It’s a comedy-adventure series with a literacy curriculum, set in a world of trolls, goblins, and dragons. Koyalee is producing it, so they work very closely together every day. Sascha Paladino ’98 wrote a couple of episodes as well. It’s been really amazing to work with such close friends and colleagues. Definitely check it out. It’s on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.— and you can find it On Demand and on iTunes. There’s also an app available on iTunes that had a very successful launch in April.

Sam Effron, his wife, and 2-year-old twins just decamped from NYC after almost 18 years. They are moving to Hastings-on-Hudson, in lower Westchester along the Hudson River.

Ernest Koe is working on his second software company, Proof, which provides integrated data management software to schools. He escaped the cold of New England and now lives in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife, Charmaine Chiu, and two children (Beckett, 4, and Declan, 2).

Margaret Wright is happily living in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Jon, daughter Olivia (age 3), and two dogs. She recently made a career change, and works as a senior grant writer at the best non-profit organization in the world—The American Academy of Pediatrics. Last fall, she traveled to New York City and caught up with old pals Mark Davis and Jeremy Bernstein ’97, who are both doing well. Margaret and Mark spent most of the time commenting on what tremendous chefs Jeremy and his wife are, and how amazingly cute their kids are.

Jim Leiken writes that he and his wife, Candice, recently moved out to Napa, Calif., from West Palm Reach, Fla. He worked for Daniel Boulud close to 12 years, mostly in NYC (Restaurant Daniel, DB Bistro, and as the opening chef at DBGB in the East Village), but for the last two year in Palm Beach, running the kitchen at Café Boulud. He took a job in Cali with Cindy Pawlcyn, as the exec chef of Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena. Their twins, Maggie and Charlie, 2, are adapting really well to life in the country—they like climbing on the tractor and feeding carrots to the neighbor’s horse and donkey every morning.

Joel Levin drops us a line that after creating MinecraftEdu (an educational version of the popular sandbox game, Minecraft), he left his teaching job to start a company called TeacherGaming which brings games into the classroom. His business travels let him visit some other classmates recently: Jonah Hershowitz ’97 who runs an acupuncture and pain management clinic in San Francisco, and Ian Kavanagh, who is a programmer in Stockholm, Sweden.

Mark Davis and his wife, Megan, live in Middletown with their two kids, Minerva (“Minnie”), 4, and Oliver (“Ollie”), 2. Mark works at Wesleyan, so feel free to look him up if you’re visiting campus!

Colby and Sara Evans are expanding their dermatology practice to three offices in Austin, Texas, this summer. They are kept constantly entertained and on the move by their sons, 6 and 4, and daughter who is 2. Colby is the chair-elect of the board of trustees of the National Psoriasis Foundation, a role he will assume next year. The NPF is the largest national charitable organization that advocates for the over 7 million Americans with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Jacob Ward writes that he was editor-in-chief of Popular Science from 2012 to 2013, and just left to join Al Jazeera America as the network’s science and technology correspondent. He has two young daughters with his wife, Julie, and they live on Lake Merritt in Oakland. He sees Walter Einenkel ’97 and Emily Weinstein ’97 all the time, and he believes Vivek Asija just moved to the neighborhood, and that Susan Yee is there as well, but he hasn’t bumped into them yet.

Sabrina McCormick is a producer on the new Showtime TV series about climate change, The Years of Living Dangerously­—she produced a story with Matt Damon about heat waves and another with Michael C. Hall in Bangladesh.

Anya McMurray and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their second child, Zev Thomas Keller, to the world in March. Big sister Thea has reserved judgment regarding her level of excitement over this event but they are optimistic she’ll join in their enthusiasm soon.

Tori Peglar and Tom Rutkowski are living in Boulder with their two daughters and looking forward to this year’s season, as they have family passes to Winter Park for the first time. Tom’s an environmental engineer cleaning up water at mine sites and Tori works at the University of Colorado, Boulder. They see Dan Cohen and Mara Kailin in Denver with their kids. Tom also works with Jake Waples ’95, who lives in the area with his wife, Sandy Miller ’95, and their daughters. They had the opportunity to visit them when they lived in Chile two years ago. Time flies!

DARA FEDERMAN | darasf@yahoo.com

DACQUE TIRADO | dacquetirado@yahoo.com

Wendy Gale is working in literacy and Bible translation with Wycliffe Bible translators in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She sends greetings to her classmates.

Lara Tupper is working on a new book and continues to croon jazz standards in intimate venues in the Berkshires. She is looking forward to putting out a live CD soon.

Ryan Knox is finishing up his third year teaching American literature at an international school in Hong Kong. He will return to Yale University in New Haven on June 1, 2014.

Suzanne Snider and her partner, Robin, welcomed a baby girl, Claude Poppy, last September. Currently, Suzanne is teaching oral history at Columbia University and directs a program called Oral History Summer School in Hudson, N.Y. She is in touch with many Wes friends and looks forward to hearing her Wes housemate, Lily Mazzarella, read at the Poetry Project on April 21.

Josh Gilbert shares great news that Carey Bartell was recently promoted to vice president of litigation at Hospira, Inc.

Wesleyan has meant a lot to us all. So take some time, reminiscence, and go to thisiswhy.wesleyan.edu to tell us your “This Is Why” story. Or just go there to read other Wesleyanites’ “This Is Why” stories. I appreciate all your notes and updates; they mean the world to me and you are part of my “This Is Why” story. In advance, I thank all of you ’95ers for taking the time to tell your stories and for supporting our Wesleyan.

Best wishes from Houston, Texas.

DWAYNE BUSBY | dwaynedbusby@yahoo.com

By the time you are reading this magazine, we’ll have already enjoyed our 20th Reunion. For those who couldn’t make it, we’ll include all the juicy details in the next issue of the magazine. This issue has a pre-Reunion deadline, so here’s all that we’ve heard from you recently.

Jonathan Kirsch: “I’m moving from North Carolina to Minnesota, where I’ll work at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and be part of the core faculty of the Global Health Pathway for residents. I can’t wait to ski, winter bike, and enjoy the lakes.”

Tonya Ward Singer: “I’m still my own boss (tonyasinger.com), enjoying the collaborative work of helping schools create equal opportunities for all English learners. I’m writing a book on professional learning and doing a few poetry slams here and there to fuel my creative soul. My boys, now 5 and 8, keep me laughing and focused on what is most important. I will be at Reunion! Can’t wait!”

Kristy Scanlan: “I am currently working as VP of Business Development in the Animation & Games group at Technicolor in Los Angeles. In other news, I recently became co-president of the non-profit organization Women in Animation, which promotes women in our industry. Here is the press release from Variety: variety.com/2013/film/news/women-in-animation-restructures-with-new-leadership-1200775732/.”

Danielle Pelletier Fiery: “It can’t possibly be 20 years, can it? Apparently, I am celebrating by graduating again. I won’t be able to attend Reunion, as graduation is about the same time. I’m finishing up my M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in the neurodevelopmental approach to teaching from Plymouth State University. I actually kicked this degree off with an adolescent psychology class at Wes through MALS during the summer of 2012. It’s been a busy but really worthwhile two years; I’m in my 10th year of teaching at my old high school, Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H. Mostly I teach Algebra 2, plus a finite math class for seniors, and I’m mentoring a new teacher, and that’s been fun, too!”

Jason Platt Zolov: “I am living in Brooklyn with my wonderful wife and three boys. They will all be ready to party at Reunion. I am working at HBO, where I’ve been for the past eight years.”

Matthew Solomon: “I live in D.C., with my wife and two kids. After many years at DOJ, last year I was named chief litigation counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission, where I help manage the agency’s national litigation program. I keep in touch with a few folks from Wesleyan, including Jon Liebson ’92 and Gideon Stein, and I really hope to re-connect with others at the Reunion.”

Amit Nigam: “I moved to London with husband, Scott Linder, and two cats in tow. We live in the charming neighborhood of Stoke Newington, and I’m on the faculty at the Cass Business School. I’d love to hear from Wes folks in London. Sadly, the move meant we missed John Pollock’s wedding in Alabama. Luckily, he and spouse, Katie Rose, will be swinging through on their honeymoon.”

Jeff Yaus: “I’ve been living in Boston since graduation, working first as a videogame designer at Looking Glass (alongside Richard Wyckoff and a handful of other Wesleyan alumni), then as a Web developer, which has become my career. I’m currently in the software architecture group at Vistaprint, where I’ve been for three years. I met my wife, Kathleen, through Amanda Bennett ’96, who was the maid of honor at our wedding, in a wedding party that also included best man Adam Hirsch ’95, Seth Hill ’97, Katrina Traber ’97, and Jeremy Bernstein ’97—and a few dozen other Wes alums in attendance as guests! Kathleen and I have a beautiful daughter who just turned 1; Kathleen is the owner-operator of a veterinary practice here in the Boston ’burbs. Looking forward to seeing everyone this May!”

Carolyn Buckley Fusco: “I am sad that I won’t make it to the Reunion this year—I have two weddings and a graduation this May. However, I am happy to announce the birth of my first child, Eleanor Buckley Fusco! Born Jan. 16, 2014, weighing eight pounds and measuring 20.5 inches. Like many new moms, I am amazed, perplexed, and overjoyed as I sleepwalk through these first few months! I wouldn’t trade her for the world!”

Thanks everyone for your notes. If we haven’t heard from you in a while, please be in touch.

Jiyoung Lim Gilbreth and Ilana wind newell
94notes@gmail.com

Mac McCurry writes, “I’m starting my 20th year in the N.J. State Police (man, that makes me sound old). I am the senior detective sergeant in our Strategic Investigations Unit. I’ve been married to my lovely wife, Colleen, for almost 15 years. We still live in Sparta, N.J., with our 8-going-on-18-year-old daughter. She keeps us busy with basketball, softball, soccer, swimming, skiing, triathlon, karate, and chess club. When I’m not driving her around I enjoy hunting, fishing, shooting, and the occasional adult beverage. I am eagerly awaiting a bottle of Triple Divide vodka from our classmate Karen Powell in Montana.”

Mac’s frosh year Foss 8 neighbor, Derek Thompson, writes: “Our family recently moved to D.C. My wife, Ayanna, is professor of English at George Washington. I joined the faculty at Georgetown University Hospital, where I am helping to build a palliative care program. Our son, Dashiell, is 11, and our daughter, Thaisa, is 4.”

Over the past year Dan Crane has been writing pieces for the New York Times (including one about freezing his sperm!) and making music with a new band called Ray & Remora, whose debut EP, 1994, features covers of indie rock songs by Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk, Pavement, etc., that originally came out in 1994. The EP is available on iTunes, Amazon, etc. He also continues to compose music for film, and has a piece of music featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, Twenty Feet from Stardom.

Lisa O’Donoghue-Lindy has co-launched a blog on women making significant career transitions later in life. With a new story each week, career2.0blog.net profiles women who have left years of seniority, prestige, and salary to start entirely new careers in midlife. Understand why and how they did it? Are there lessons to be shared? Do their stories inspire you to finally take your dream down from the shelf and wipe off the dust? If any Wesleyan alumni have or know of great stories to share, she would love to profile them. You can contact Lisa through the blog.

Hillary Rosner writes, “I’ve spent the past 12 years as a freelance journalist, writing about the environment for places like The New York Times, Wired, and National Geographic from Boulder, Colo. In January, I’ll be joining the faculty of the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, helping launch a science journalism program. I’m slightly concerned about leaving sunny Colorado for bleak central New York, but excited about the opportunity. I’ll be moving there with my husband and our son, who was born in August.”

Jason Moss launched a new business, Metis (thisismetis.com), that provides intensive courses teaching job-ready skills for the new economy. Its first course is a software development bootcamp based in Boston for people who want to become entry-level Web developers. Metis is a part of Kaplan Test Prep, where he’s worked since 2007.

Eve Abrams writes, “I produced an hour-long radio documentary about the changes happening (gentrification, most recently) in my little corner of my adopted home town, New Orleans. Along Saint Claude aired on our local NPR station, WWNO, and got a tremendous amount of press, too. Here are links to the articles: In what remains of the Times-Picayune. In our weekly paper, Gambit. In the Baton Rogue paper, The Advocate, who’s expanding to give the Times Picayune a run for its money.”

Kim Frederick is suffering from extreme sleep deprivation. As she explains it, “The adorable cause of the sleep deprivation is Vince’s and my third child, Theodore Ellis Frederick Webb, who arrived May 23, 2013 (5 lbs, 6 oz.—he was an early little peanut), to join big sister Zora, 5, and big brother Isaac, 3. And here’s what I don’t recommend about this experience: We had a third child, moved house, and Vince started a new job all within a month. I recommend separating all of these major changes.”

Tim Olevsky writes, “I was excited to see so many Wesleyan alums at John Pollock ’94’s wedding in Montgomery, Ala., in November, including Leah Bartell ’95, Rob Mangels ’92, and Jennie Van Cleef ’92. I hadn’t seen Jennie or Rob in 20 years! And in December, I got to sing with the Boston Pops on their holiday concert tour of the Northeast.”

Jeff Juris has a new edited volume: Insurgent Encounters: Transnational Activism, Ethnography, and the Political. You can find it on Amazon.

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com

SARAH ESTOW | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Adam writes: Greetings all! Hope everyone is doing well. I just finished my first year as a housemaster at a graduate dorm at MIT, living with 550 graduate students. It’s been quite a year for us but my family is having a great time. The space is great not just for entertaining graduate students but others as well—in January, I hosted a talk by Associate Professor of Religion Mary-Jane Rubenstein for about 50 Wes alums and current students. It was great to see so many folks there and I hope we can do it again in the future.

Andrea Lachenmayr lives in DC with her husband, Tom Russell, and their 11-year old daughter, Cecilia. After 15 years practicing in big law firms (primarily doing infrastructure finance), she is starting her own law practice to focus on the needs of charter schools and other education innovators.

Alfred Culliford is director of plastic surgery at Staten Island University Hospital in NYC. Currently he is also pursuing a physician executive MBA degree and will graduate in Dec. 2014. He is living in New York in a blended family with his 8-year-old daughter from a previous marriage and his partner and her 9-year-old daughter.

Katheryn Berla still lives in Louisville and saw Hal Skinner and Whitney Witt and their children Halcyon and Sammy over the holidays. The two families were able to spend the night and ring in the New Year together when Hal and Whitney were on their way back to Madison, WI.

Kevin Prufer remains professor of English and director of graduate studies of The Creative Writing Program at The University of Houston. He has two new books coming out this year: Churches (Four Way Books, 2014) and Russell Atkins: On the Life & Work of an American Master (Unsung Masters Series, 2014)

Moving to the West Coast, Mouncey Ferguson is married, living in L.A. with his wife, Elise Robertson, and their kids, Stella (8) and Sadie (7). He produced an independent horror/thriller, Donner Pass, directed by his wife, which came out in 2012 and is airing on Showtime and available on Netflix. Mouncey and his wife are finishing up a short web series for Nickelodeon which will be available on nickmom.com, called The Wisdom of Children. The rest of the time, he works in advertising.

Also in L.A. is Stephanie Ivy, who is still working for Goldman Sachs. She remarried in June 2013. Stephanie reports that she sees Scott Hatter occasionally as they work in the same building.

Ziba Kashef writes that after the last decade in San Francisco, she is heading to the East Coast. Her husband, Tony, just landed a job at the University of St. Josephs and they, and their two kids, are going to move to West Hartford in August. She’d love to reconnect with any Wes alums in the area and can be reached at: zkashef1970@gmail.com

Also on the move is Jody Sperling who writes, “This May-June I will be embarking on a six-week journey to the Arctic as research for a choreographic project entitled “Ice Melt.” I’ll be accompanying a scientific expedition aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy that will be studying the relationship between the thinning Arctic sea ice and increased phytoplankton blooms that may be altering the polar ecosystem. Upon my return I’ll be developing a dance-theater piece for my company, Time Lapse Dance, that will focus on the dynamism, fragility and loss of sea ice. This is the longest I’ll have ever been away from my daughter Evie, now 2 1/2. I will miss her dearly, but the voyage is an exciting (and unexpected) opportunity. I plan to use my experience as much as possible to increase awareness of climate science.”

That’s all the news for now. Please send updates to me or Paul—we’d love to hear from you!.

ADAM BERINSKY | berinsky@mit.edu

PAUL COVIELLO | coviellop01@alum.darden.edu