Class Notes

Tasmiha Khan has been named a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Tasmiha is an independent journalist who covers a wide range of topics related to health, race, politics, culture, and religion.

Han Hsien Liew writes that he has “started a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Islamic Studies at Arizona State University in fall 2021.”

Alexandra Ketchum has two books coming out this year! The first is Engage in Public Scholarship!: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication. The second book is Ingredients for Revolution: American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffeehouses. Alex started her research for this book back when she was writing her honors thesis for Wesleyan’s FGSS program. Concordia University Press is releasing the books in open access (so freely available online) and in paperback.

Geri Rosenberg says: “I’ve hiked more than 3,000 miles since the summer of 2020. I followed up my Colorado Trail thru-hike with a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. I even got to take Adrian Rothschild on his first backpacking trip as an adult!”

Jake Schofield reports: “I’ve returned to my roots in Yonkers, New York—living in my great-grandma’s dusty old house—and am currently in my fifth year of teaching high school science research in the Yonkers public schools. Always looking to connect with Wesleyan people in the area, especially those who might be interested in mentoring exceptional high school students.”

Sean Curtice lives in Basel, Switzerland, where he is completing a PhD in music theory. His research concerns Filippo Trajetta, an Italian composer who immigrated to the United States in 1800, establishing the first conservatory in the country and promoting Neapolitan music-pedagogical methods. A recent research trip took Sean back to the Wesleyan campus for the first time since 2012.

Allegra Heath-Stout writes: “Laura Heath-Stout ’11 and I are proud new homeowners in Arlington, Massachusetts. More importantly, in November we welcomed our first child, River Benjamin! River is a wonderful baby and loves ceiling fans and long naps. Also, last year I had a great time creating the Access to Power Fellowship, a leadership development program focusing on disability justice, community organizing, and Judaism, as part of my work at JOIN for Justice. Kyle Rocco East was one of the fellows!”

 

 

Hi Class of 2011,

See updates from our class below. Thanks to all who contributed!

Phoebe (née Stonebraker) Kilmoon is currently writing for the sketch comedy TV show Studio C. She and her husband welcomed their first kid, Desmond, in April 2021. They’ll be moving to LA this spring.

Marshall Johnson writes, “I got engaged to my longtime partner Becky Bradley in December 2021. We are planning a spring/summer 2023 wedding.”

Dr. Christopher Ceccolini is excited to share that he completed his PhD in counseling psychology this spring after finishing his residency at NYU School of Medicine. He looks forward to starting his postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine this fall in their psychotic disorders division. He’s super grateful for the emotional support of his Wesleyan friends during the six years of his doctoral journey, especially from Jordan Gratch ’13. The doctor is in!

Issy Magowan tells us, “I gave birth to my first child, a baby girl named Imogen, on August 24th. In the past year I have shot for both The New Yorker and Time magazine. I’m continuing to make new photographic work.”

Greetings Class of 2010! Please enjoy the following updates from our classmates around the world:

Dylan Marron was hired as a writer for the third season of Ted Lasso, joining fellow Wes alum Bill Wrubel ’85, P’26.

Emily Hoffman and husband Alex Kane welcomed baby girl Shayna Hadas this past January. All are well and enjoying hibernating together through the Brooklyn winter.

Hallie Morris (Coffin-Gould) and her husband Drew welcomed a baby boy this past November. They’re thrilled to be enjoying a quiet winter together as a family.

Keoni DeFranco recently moved to Oahu, Hawai’i, to lead Malama Venture Studio (MSV), where he is developing a portfolio of innovative companies looking to strength Hawai’i’s economy through socially conscious and environmentally regenerative business. MVS’s goal is to achieve a sustainable Hawai’i. He is a member of the Oahu Water Protectors, working to defuel and decommission Red Hill Fuel Facility, which recently spilled 14,000 gallons of petroleum into Oahu’s water supply. Keoni is also advising the Nation of Hawai’i on its pathway toward self-determination for the Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian people), which is currently petitioning for permanent observer status at the United Nations.

Elizabeth Larner and her husband were overjoyed to welcome their first child, a son named Joshua, this past December.

Becky Lee reports: “I completed my residency in family medicine and started working for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program as a member of the Street Team— providing addiction medicine and primary care to the chronically homeless. My partner Marc and I also welcomed our baby Beatrix into the world in November!”

Maren Ellingboe King is sharing updated versions of favorite family recipes (including Cardamom Coffee Buns, Caraway Roast Chicken, and several variations of hotdish) in her first cookbook, Fresh Midwest: Modern Recipes from the Heartland. The book will be released in September by Countryman Press, and combines the nostalgia of traditional Midwestern dishes and influences of Maren’s Scandinavian heritage with an emphasis on local, unprocessed ingredients. Maren, a food stylist and recipe developer, moved back home to Minneapolis with her husband Ari King ’09 in 2020 after a decade spent in New York City and the Bay Area. Fresh Midwest is available for preorder on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or wherever books are sold.

Thanks as always to those who contributed and, as always, feel free to pass along notes real time at DavidALayne@gmail.com, or dlayne@wesleyan.edu.

Scott Cole has recently become the chief operating officer of Divot Assets (www.divotassets.com), the leading provider of fixed asset inventory services for K–12 public schools.

Sofia Warner and Eric Weiskott welcomed their second child, Theo Warner, into the world last July 4. Sofia, Eric, Theo, and Theo’s older sister Lili live in Brookline, Massachusetts.

From Sophie Reagan: “Still in DC but always a New Yorker at heart. Our daughter is three—not sure how that happened—but we don’t know how old our dog is. Workwise, I’m a chief of staff within Deloitte’s Government & Public Services practice. There are a couple of us Wesleyan alums here! A small but mighty bunch.”

Abby Rosenstein writes: “My husband Neil and I welcomed our baby, Ezra, in September! We live in central Massachusetts, where I work as a nurse practitioner in a community health center.”

Editor’s note: We need a new class secretary! If you are interested, please email: classnotes@wesleyan.edu.

The Class of ’08 has been working hard . . . at work and at producing the Class of ’43!

Emily Hauck writes, “2021 was a pretty big year for me: my husband (Julien) and I bought a house in Cahors, a small town in southwest France where we’ve been living since 2016; I (finally!) passed the French civil service exam (I work as a fundraiser for the local government); and on November 28th our son George was born!”

Kate Krems gave birth to her third child, Kaya, in May, and now she is attempting to balance being a mother of three children under five with her full-time job as an attorney. After working at her previous firm for two years, she moved to Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, a DC–based employment law firm, in November. Just to keep things interesting, she and her family will be moving to Newton, Massachusetts, in May. After the move, Kate will continue working remotely for her current firm and will appreciate being closer to her parents for help with childcare (and the beach for more cold-water surfing).

Leslie Prado writes, “We got an Australian cattle dog and named him Kona as inspiration to qualify for the Worlds Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. And most importantly, after two miscarriages in 2020, we were blessed with a baby girl this year, and her name is Valencia Mayu. Feeling extremely grateful.”

 

Stephanie Fungsang and Jeremy Finch ’09 welcomed a son in early 2021. He is an adorable squawking goose.

Danielle Klimashousky married Matthew Barnish (non-Wes) in September 2021 in Cape May, New Jersey. Attendees included Julia Kessler and Becky (Ehrlich) Freiman, and they all had the best time!

Grace Overbeke is cited in All Events In for leading a discussion on “The Many ‘Mrs. Maisels’: A History of Jewish Women Comedians” on January 20. Overbeke is an assistant professor in the theater department of Columbia College with a focus on comedy writing and performance. She received her BA in theater and English from Wesleyan.

Nic Benacerraf recently stepped down from his longtime role as co-artistic director of The Assembly (founded with fellow Wes alums)—though he still serves enthusiastically on the company’s board. He founded a new group called Edge Effect, a “think-and-do-tank” that brings together scholars, scientists, activists, artists, journalists, technologists, (etc.), to dismantle the techniques of mass persuasion in our everyday lives (www.edgeeffectmedia.org/). He writes, “We are building our polydisciplinary network; reach out if interested! Work continues on the dissertation, and on live performances—including the upcoming immersive hip-hop/soul/funk concert: CANNABIS! A Viper Vaudeville.”

Marianna Foos writes, “Geoff Parsons ’88 and I were authors on a gene therapy paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in December. Geoff is an expert in many things scientific, as well as puns and gifs, and is a pleasure to work with. Clearly the fruits of a liberal arts education!”

The class of ’07 has stayed busy!  Jose Chapa got married on Labor Day weekend to Adam Martin (not a Wes alum) in sunny South Padre Island, Texas!  The wedding was co-officiated by Emily Wilson-Barnard and served as a mini-Wes reunion since it was attended by Jennifer Ayala, Rosa Cohen-Cruz, Anaka Hennings ’09, Rae Kaplan ’24, Reuben Kosup-Katz, Megan Lollie, Elsa Meany, Christine Mehr, Erin Moore, Mariel Piña, and Shar-de Ricketts.  We danced the night away to Beyonce, as it was her 40th birthday!

Grace Nowakoski and her husband Jeff Diteman and their 3-year-old daughter welcomed a baby brother this summer. It’s a circus. Complete with a trapeze.  Simon Au ’07 and his ever-patient wife have managed to keep their son healthily alive for a full revolution of the Earth around the sun.

Hyung-Jin Choi moved to Hong Kong!  On the other hand, Lydia Bell is still living in Brooklyn, with her husband and their 1-year-old daughter. She recently switched career paths and enrolled in a master’s program in mental health counseling. She’d be excited to connect with other mental health professionals in New York and elsewhere!

In other career news, Frank Giantomasi was elevated to partner at Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, New Jersey’s third-largest law firm.  Jon Pierowicz recently took the position of general counsel with Viridi Parente, a distributed renewable energy company in Buffalo, New York.

Molly Gaebe has started her own comedy theater in NYC called Rubbish Comedy Collective, and she continues to fight for abortion rights with Abortion Access Front. Molly said she would never marry a fellow Cardinal, but the Goddesses had other plans. She and Leila Bozorg ’04 are set to marry in June of next year.

Kathleen Day is deep into the working-mom lifestyle, thankfully supported by her partner, Karl Otto, who is a full-time dad to their two kids (5 years and 17 months old). She still works for nonprofit developer Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). Following a grueling return to work 6 weeks after the birth of her son in 2020, she successfully lobbied for a dramatic change to POAH’s parental leave program. As of 2022, POAH’s 12-week-paid parental leave is among the most generous of their peer organizations. She and her husband hung out with Ben Sax and Janine Criscuolo and their family over the summer. Occasionally they connect with Rebecca Parrish ’06 and her family in Chicago.

Those with class notes, please contact: 

Class Notes Editor

classnotes@wesleyan.edu

After serving as the country director of Ashoka, Philippines, for the past seven years, Terri Jayme-Mora tells us “I’ve moved my little family of four from Manila to Vancouver, British Columbia.  I am enjoying my new role as special projects lead for Firetree Philanthropy and have also cofounded the Democratic Insights Group focused on voter centeredness and electoral competitiveness in the Philippines.”

Meanwhile, Mark Schindler is a senior director at Fountain, where he leads the team responsible for helping their customers source high-volume hourly workers. Fountain recently closed their Series C funding, led by SoftBank and B Capital, and have grown the team to 175 people worldwide (from just 15 people when Mark started!). Mark has enjoyed the, albeit very slow, renewal of travel and finally meeting colleagues who he has only ever met on Zoom.

Nick Blondin shares that he’s just started his fourth year as a neuro-oncologist at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale, and loves caring for my patients. This May will be his 12th wedding anniversary with Rebecca Gordon ’06. His kids, Alice (4th grade) and Danny (kindergarten), are both vaccinated and in school. “I enjoy spending my free time biking on Zwift!”

Elaina Dellacava reports: “My husband Adam and I welcomed a baby boy (William Joseph) in August of this year, one day before our daughter Sienna turned two. I continue to work as a psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian/Cornell, and am switching roles to focus on the geriatric population with an interest in addressing loneliness in that group of patients. Hoping everyone is healthy and happy as we start 2022.”

Dael Norwood has also  just published his first book, Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America (University of Chicago Press). An academic monograph, it investigates the politics of the first century of commerce between China and the United States. Wesleyan’s campus has an “old China trade” connection too: Russell House, the Greek Revival mansion on the corner of Washington and High Streets, is the former home of Samuel Russell—the founder of the largest American opium smuggling firm operating in China during the 19th century.

Greg Heller left his public-sector role as executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority in the fall to join management consulting firm Guidehouse as a director and housing subject-matter expert. Greg is building on his Philly work to help partners around the country develop equitable, resilient communities where everyone can have a quality, affordable home. Governing recently published Greg’s article about how we can draw from lessons in disaster recovery to more urgently address America’s housing stability crisis.

Over in Florida, Brian Hennessey tells us: “I’m living on Miami Beach and am still the Wes alumni regional representative for south Florida and trying hard to not become a “Florida Man.”  I’m happy to meet up with any Wes alums among the droves of folks moving to Miami to work remotely under a palm tree. I can provide expert guidance on how to avoid being hit by falling iguanas or coconuts, among other useful tips.”

Joey Wender left Capitol Hill after working there for nearly 13 years and started as director of the Capital Projects Fund at the Department of Treasury, working to ensure all communities have access to high-quality, affordable broadband. Joey also continues to enjoy his frequent conversations with Adam Lachman, who, as a longtime staffer for Senator Angus King, helped create this connectivity program.

Emily Teitsworth recently became the executive director of the Honnold Foundation, supporting community-based solar energy access around the world. She lives in Oakland, California, with her partner, two stepkids, and son Jai, who turned one in January. She’d love for any Wes alums working in renewable energy to reach out!

Bayard Templeton and his wife Alex welcomed their second child, Jamie, to their family on February 4th. Issie (8) is excited to be a big sister.

Alexander Yellen and his wife Kelli McNeil-Yellen have had a busy year, buying their first home in LA and recently wrapping their first feature together, an indie road trip movie called Daruma, starring two lead actors with disabilities in a story that is not about disability.

Tejas Desai reconnected with a few old Wes friends, including Jessica Stewart, who recently moved to NYC from San Francisco, and went to a Mets game with Bayard Templeton. He performed a musical version of his novel, The Run and Hide, in the New York City subway system with Blues Hall of Famer/Tampa Bay Lightning Fiddler Greg Holt, aided by a City Artist Corp grant in partnership with MTA’s Musical under New York Program; the virtual version was broadcast on the Queens Public Library’s Facebook Live platform. His latest book, The Dance Towards Death, won a Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence and was a bronze medalist in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Contest. He completed the first draft of his new book, Bad Americans, fulfilling his New Year’s resolution, at a whopping 300,000 words in length. He’s currently revising it.

I am very sorry to be sharing the sad news that Daniel Moger passed on March 13, 2022, due to complications from COVID-19 and an underlying blood condition. He is survived by his wife Julie and daughter Georgina. Daniel was a former U.S. Treasury Department official and most recently Asia Pacific Sanctions director for Citibank. In Dan’s memory, his family asks to consider gifts to OutRight Action International in support of human rights and dignity of LGBTIQ people everywhere, and Phillips Academy where donations will be directed to supporting disadvantaged students. I extend my sincerest condolences to Daniel’s family and friends.

(Editor’s note: Daniel’s mother, Angela Moger, was the first woman employed in the professional Wesleyan administration (1969) as the University entered co-education. Ms. Moger was also an adjunct professor of French during the several years she was at Wesleyan.)