Hello, all! I hope that this message finds you well. I pray that everyone had a wonderful New Year and that 2026 is going well.

Ken Barnett shared that he “is starring in Mister Halston—a new, one-person play about the famed fashion designer—at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor in May/June of 2026. If you happen to be in the Hamptons area, please come see us and say hello!”

Matthew J. Fraser writes, “My story is not enough working in Maine, but some, and books. Below is the final installment of the 2005–2025 series, Plain Talk: Ten Essays for Massachusetts. It came out this year and is more focused on the support of Massachusetts and New England than previous books in the series.”

Matthew shared links to his books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as this one: Critical Infrastructure for Children.

As for me, life has been pretty busy. I am still focused on finance, and I am happy to share that I joined a new firm during the last quarter of 2025. With that promotion came more responsibility, but thankfully, I have acclimated well; continue to be challenged in new ways; and work with a great team.

I’m still painting, crafting, writing (and hope to share some of the fruits of my labor soon), and spending as much time with family and friends as possible. By the time this goes to print, I will have returned from my birthday trip to Portugal.

Until next time,

Caissa

Hi, Wes friends! Thank you so much for sharing your news. We have some career updates, trips overseas, and exciting updates about children of graduates.

Jaime Bachrach emails, “It’s been 15 years since we left NYC for Litchfield County, and we continue to enjoy the natural beauty around us. Our wine company continues to grow, especially on the logistics side, and luckily the tariffs have not tanked our business! Our older daughter, Logan (22), lives and works in London when she’s not traveling the world, and our younger daughter, Esmee (19), is following in her sister’s footsteps by attending college abroad—at Trinity College in Dublin. We have visited Ireland twice since she started in September, and also enjoy skiing and other outdoor trips with friends and/or the girls. In Connecticut, we continue to see Sean and Deirdre (’94) Kelly frequently, as well as the Glastonbury trio of Jeff Kestenband, Erin Boggs, and John Langmaid ’92.”

Clay Dreslough (né Dresser) writes, “I ran into some health problems in my 30s and 40s but eventually figured out that things improved significantly on the Pacific Coast. In 2018, we moved from eastern Connecticut for the small city of Arcata on the north coast of California. We love the people and the weather. I’m hiking 15-plus miles every week in the redwoods with our 12-year-old pibble mix and continuing to play ultimate Frisbee. We still own and run Sports Mogul Inc., where I’ve expanded from computer games into board games. Dee and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this year, and our 25-year-old daughter, Ellie, is enjoying her job at Redlands University in Southern California.”

Tuula Hoiska Fai recently visited Wesleyan and was excited to see all the new buildings, including the Usdan University Center. She also visited her best friend’s—Jennifer Stark ’92— younger sister Amy to sing carols to Jen at her gravesite in Tolland, Connecticut (Jen passed away in 2023). Tuula recently left cybersecurity to pursue real estate investing full time. This career change is giving her more time to finish her healing journey memoir and to train for swimming competitions. Tuula resides in Sedona, Arizona, but spends summers in New Hampshire with her father and often goes to Florida to visit her son, Trevor, who is an engineering major at the University of Florida.

Michael Hanna PhD writes, “For the past 20 years, I have been working independently as a medical research consultant. During the COVID pandemic, I often read in the news about the epidemic of mental health problems—depression, anxiety, stress, etc. Reading that news, I became a bit rueful that I had drifted away from my original training in clinical psychology and working directly with patients. Having done all my education and training over 20 years ago in three different countries, the bureaucracy to make that return became my Herculean labors. But this past summer I got licensed as a psychologist in France (where I had done my master’s degree, 1995–1997), and recently I succeeded in becoming licensed as a psychologist in Connecticut. This spring, I will probably be moving back either to Paris, France, or to Connecticut, a state I have become fond of over the years. I’d be glad to hear from anyone reading this: mhanna@wesleyan.edu.”

Andy Nordvall writes, “I’m still teaching English as a foreign language to adults in Los Angeles. I recently completed my first Kickstarter campaign for an anthology of dystopian science fiction called Bad Future, which I contributed to, edited, and am in the process of printing. I recently moderated two panels at Los Angeles Comic Con, “Neurodivergent Creators Unite” and “What Can Dystopian SciFi Say About Our Dystopian Present?”

Scott Robbins emails, “I am still practicing law in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. I was elected as the vice president of the Missouri Bar in September. I look forward to representing almost 32,000 licensed Missouri lawyers during my three years in the officer rotation. With this election, I will become president in September of 2027.”

Laura Ross writes, “I am still living in Los Angeles as head of school of Harvard-Westlake School. My husband, Gregg Ross ’90, is a math teacher there. Casey, our daughter,
is in her junior year at Wesleyan, majoring in classics and just came back from studying abroad in Rome. Our son, Graham, just got accepted ED to Wesleyan, so next year they will be there together. We are so excited. Go Wes!

Maura Solomon Woosley is living in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and 10-year-old daughter. After 23 years at Citi working in the Government Affairs shop, Maura started a new job this past fall on the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services as the staff director for the Financial Institutions Subcommittee. She is excited for this new chapter in her career.

Hello, Class of 1992! It’s a new year and there’s plenty of news to share.

I start with sad news. Mary Newton Lima passed away on October 5 from cancer. She is survived by her husband, Ivan, daughters, Julia and Cecilia, her parents, Jim and Ann, and brother, Steven. A celebration of life was held in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in November, attended by Samantha (Ball) Karmel, Marit Alanen, Laura Fedolphi Marshall, among other classmates. Our condolences go out to Mary’s family and friends.

Since it is admissions season when I write this, we have a lot of Wesleyan legacy kids to celebrate. The Class of 2030 will include children of ’92 alums, including two from Seattle. Linda Perlstein’s son, Milo, was admitted ED and will be studying film. Corinne Drumheller’s daughter will also be joining the incoming class. And perhaps more to come once regular decisions are announced. In any event, they will have company: Jennifer Mittelstadt’s daughter just started at Wes this fall, joining her son who is currently a junior. Jennifer and her husband, Aaron Matthews ’93, are keeping the Wesleyan tradition going.

Speaking of Seattle, Scott Shapiro has been busy. He visited campus for the Admission 101 boot camp, then stayed in Boston to visit his son, Steele, a freshman at Northeastern. From there he took the train to Providence, staying with Jonathan Bell and Sarah Zurier, where they had dinner with Joe Hoefferle and his wife, Sabrina Witherby ’93. Then it was on to New York for brunch with Greg Vinton and his wife, Sunita Subramanian. And speaking of Boston-area connections, Christine Padian Bolzan’s daughter, AnnaSophia, is also a freshman at Northeastern with Scott’s son. Christine has a new job as vice chancellor of Experiential Education at Northeastern.

At a Wesleyan event in December, I ran into Susan (Hunt) Stevens, who is doing well and is on start-up number three with Tessi, using AI to help rebuild after natural disasters. In other professional news, Beth Shakman Hurd has a new book out—Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States from the University of Chicago Press. Oliver Lu received an MA in critical psychology from Prescott College and is now the assistant squash coach at Franklin & Marshall College.

David “Shadrack” Smith has big news: his documentary, Public Access, was accepted by Sundance! The film explores New York’s first public access channels. His partner, Charlotte Mangin, started a new job as director of development at DCTV in New York. And also in the world of arts, Elizabeth “Lisa” Liang premiered her new solo show Home at the Jaxx Theatre in East Hollywood—an intensely personal piece about her relationship with Guatemala. And Darcy Dennett is finishing two years at JPMorganChase, doing videos on art installations by Maya Lin, Leo Villareal, and Gerhard Richter.

My old housemate Simon Fulford opened a new $30M residential treatment campus for Parrott Creek Child & Family Services in Portland, Oregon, providing 40 residential beds to youth. Simon recently caught up with Anne Paris at her art studio in Portland.

Chris Chesak continues as executive director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and is wrapping up his term as president of the Society of American Travel Writers. Jeremy Hornik is still designing slot machines in Chicago and now has a co-worker who was born after he started there. He and his wife, Sheila Quirke, have two children and recently hosted Jean (Gibbons) DiMaria. Karl Mergenthaler checks in from Westport, Connecticut—advisor at Morgan Stanley, married 20 years with two great daughters.

Joan Charlotte Matelli went back to Italy for the first time since the pandemic and also visited Kate Hellenga ’88 in San Francisco and met up with Matthew Wein in Berkeley. In more personal reunion news, I went to San Diego for a conference last summer and met up with Katheryn Berla, Hal Skinner, Diana (Strauss) Casey ’91, Liz Martin ’91, and Dan Grant ’91 for an Alpha Delta Phi meetup. It was great to see everyone!

Meredith Tarr writes from New Haven, where she’s worked at indie label MPress Records for over 20 years, tour managing artist Rachael Sage.

Welcome to several first-time contributors! Andrea Seebaum is living in Healdsburg, California, growing olives for olive oil. She frequently sees Emily (Johnson) Henn ’94 and Stephen Henn ’94. Ben Parrillo has taken time away from acting to build custom off-grid homes with his company Bunkrhome, currently finishing his own home in Joshua Tree with his wife, Sepi, and daughter Leon Soleil. And Marit Alanen shared that she just retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after 20 years.

That’s all for now. Please send me your news!

Adam

Reminder: Our 35th Reunion is in May. See Wesleyan.edu/rc/ for information, and please send news!

I hope 2026 has been off to a great start! Here’s what we have:

Andrew Siff,who works as a reporter in Queens, New York, writes that “in recent months, a small group of us has formed a makeshift book club!” The group includes Andy, along with Bill Sherman, an environmental lawyer in Seattle, David Weinstein, a judge in Albany, New York; Tim Hintz,a counselor (and gardener extraordinaire!) in Brookline, Massachusetts; Ed Ungvarsky, a capital defense attorney in Washington, D.C.; and Alex Navarro-McKay, a political consultant and strategist in Brooklyn. Andy writes that they all gather remotely to try their hands at reading—and discussing! “We first read Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Next up was The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. The club has provided a much-needed respite from AI and smartphones and has allowed us to read, reflect, and reconnect. Up next may be the stories of Flannery O’Connor.”

Alexander Levi writes that earlier last December, “channeling the renegade spirit of never-ending Indian Hill Cemetery workouts of the 1980s Wescrew of Scoggins & Moore, I ran my fourth urban ultra race: the Endurance Fest 50-Miler in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The event gathered 130 indomitable souls to bask in the impossible, amid a potluck of festive food and drink and a throng of cheering friends.” See a great picture of Alexander from the day of the race in the online version of these notes (classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu)!

Victor Khodadad “lives in the Bronx with his wife and two children. He continues fighting the good fight by helping to run New Camerata Opera, a 501(c) nonprofit organization that he helped found in 2016. He has been newly elected as artistic chair and will be singing the tenor role of Valcour in their upcoming 2026 production of L’amant anonyme by Joseph Bologne. He looks forward to presenting this rarely performed gem for New York audiences. Please visit www.newcamerataopera.org for more information.”

Peter Brastow writes that he and Carolyn Gencarella “and our two grown boys traveled to NYC over the holidays. We had an action-packed five days, based on 28th Street, where we stayed in a hotel with rooftop bar that had a spectacular view of the Empire State Building. We went to two shows (highly recommend Buena Vista Social Club!), a jazz club, the High Line, the World Trade Center, McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village, the Met, and the Park in the snow! Since the new mayor wasn’t sworn in until the New Year, we couldn’t track him down! We had yummy lunch (and a Vermut! for me) with Miriam Temin (who lives in Manhattan) at Little Spain. One day we went to the Tenement Museum and were joined there by Stephanie Donahue Pilla and her husband, who live in Harlem. After the incredible tour of the old houses where Jewish and Italian immigrants lived on Orchard Street, we were met by Andy Eig who led us to some delicious dim sum in Chinatown for Saturday brunch. Andy lives in Chelsea with his wife and grown children, with whom Carolyn and our kids and I also had dinner one night. On Monday [January 29], Carolyn [and I, plus] Andy and Stephanie, were joined at a fancy bar in NOMAD by Susan Wong (fellow Foss sixer whom I hadn’t seen since 1991!), Dave Belgrave (with whom Susan and I lived senior year at 107 Cross, and who has moved back to Brooklyn where he grew up), Iriss Shimony, and Linda Turnbull, both of whom live in Manhattan and are still rockin’ the New York financial world! It was so amazing to see old (ancient!) friends and to reconnect and feel that Wesleyan warmth after so many decades. Love you people!”

On a sad note, Nick Meyer wrote that our classmate Adam Cohen passed away after a courageous two-year battle with illness. Nick, Jon Forstadt, and Chuck Fedolfi attended Adam’s funeral. Nick shared that in addition to Wesleyan, he and Adam were Scarsdale High School classmates. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Adam’s family and friends. 

I will be back in touch shortly to collect updates for the next edition of the magazine. Of course, please feel free to write any time with news, milestones, memories, or stories you would like to share. Wishing everyone a happy spring!

Doug Abel was recently nominated for an editing and writing Emmy for his work on HBO’s Chimp Crazy, which shares DNA with another project of his, the COVID-era phenomenon Tiger King. Other recent editing projects include the documentary You Had to Be There, about the 1972 production of Godspell that launched the careers of several well-known comedians and performers, as well as The Sinner starring Bill Pullman. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Jenny, two dogs, four cats, two chickens, and a rotating cadre of rescued foster animals.

Eileen Mullin became a living liver donor for her brother in October, donating 60% of her liver and recovering surprisingly quickly with no complications. Although she lives in New York, she spent a month in Colorado for the procedure and follow-up care. She notes that they are at the upper edge of the age cutoff for liver donors, but that kidney donation has a much wider age range, and she hopes—after reaching the 12-month mark—to donate a kidney as well. She describes the experience as truly life changing.

Oona Metz decided that the best way to deal with an empty nest was to have another baby—this time, a book. After 30 years as a therapist, including 15 specializing in women navigating divorce, she decided it was time for a book baby and then had to figure out how to write, publish, and promote it. Remembering that her Clark first-floor neighbor Lucas Janklow had family ties to publishing, she reached out. He immediately “walked her proposal down the hall” to Mel Flashman ’98, a dream-come-true literary agent. The book sold, followed by a year of weekend writing and another year learning book promotion. Four years later, a one-pound book was born: Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, now available wherever books are sold.

Peter Badalament has launched an educational consulting company, The Principal, which provides individualized guidance to families of high school–age students, while he continues to serve as principal of A. R. Gould School at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in Maine. With three decades of experience as a teacher and school leader, he consults on academic placement, securing appropriate school supports, and planning for postsecondary pathways.

Sarah Risser relocated from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–St. Paul—a place she will probably always consider home—to Portland, Oregon, in 2022 and has been enjoying the change tremendously. She spends a fair amount of time advocating for improved road safety and active and public transit, primarily with Families for Safe Streets. She is very proud of her daughter Nina, 28, now in her second year at Harvard Law School and continues to grieve the loss of her son, Henry, who was killed at age 18 in a vehicular crash in January 2019; he was not at fault, and Sarah survived the crash. She is still rowing with the Willamette Rowing Club, hiking as much as she can, and working toward a more consistent sauna and cold-water plunge practice.

Michele Chase reports that her son, Alessandro Kashap ’25, graduated with a mathematics major and has entered the workforce in New Jersey, working in health-care consulting with ZS Associates. She is otherwise enjoying what she calls “free birding” (a positive spin on empty nesting), with travel for work and pleasure, hiking in the Bay Area, the occasional pickleball game, and visits to her children in New Jersey and San Luis Obispo, California.

Michele’s global work at Gilead Sciences in 2025 took her to Paris, Dublin, Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, and multiple trips to London, where part of her team is based, and she enjoyed extending those visits to take in art, culture, and performances. She also enjoyed a family trip to Greece this summer to connect with part of her roots. She and a group of classmates—including Susan Paley, Caron Selati, Jennifer Levine, Michele Barnwell, Stephanie Dolgoff, Natalie Dorset, Betsey Schmidt, Lesley Savin, Laura Flaxman—have continued the tradition of gathering annually since reconnecting at their 25th Reunion.

Kim Slote recently earned her Master of Social Work from Florida State University and will soon be relocating to Philadelphia, with big changes ahead. She would be happy to hear from classmates in the area.

Holly Adams reports that her daughter and her partner welcomed a baby, and her son got married. Life continues to be good as a full-time performer, and her pet project—a quirky sci-fi mystery podcast called The Mysterious CHIRP—has just launched its second season. She sends warm wishes to the Class of ’89 for a wonderful 2026.

Nina Karnovsky is a professor of biology at Pomona College, a small liberal arts college similar to Wesleyan. This past fall she served as the convocation speaker, where she reflected on how her liberal arts education at Wesleyan shaped her life’s journey. Her talk can be viewed athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5YXg1FTosc&t=7s.

In July 2025, Kelem Butts began a new role as executive director of Uptown Dallas Inc., a public improvement district in Dallas. He reports that the position is a great fit and that he feels completely in his element, combining civic engagement with an extroverted role he truly enjoys. He adds that it is a nonprofit that requires no fundraising, and that life is good.

Jen Feldman serves as rabbi at Kehillah Synagogue in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, now in her 24th year helping to build Jewish community there. Over the years, she has enjoyed having many fellow Wesleyan alumni as congregants and seeing children from the synagogue head off to Wesleyan. She also made a summer trip to New York City, where she spent time with longtime friend Natasha Kurchanova ’88 and her husband, Ron.

When not practicing employment and labor law for employers, Jeffrey Naness plays keyboards in several Long Island–based bands and ensembles, including The Breakfast Club (’80s), Common Ground (’80s), Society Road (classic/yacht rock), and Memory Lane Acoustic Trio. He extends a cordial invitation to classmates to check out upcoming gigs and follow the bands on Facebook and Instagram.

Stephanie Dolgoff is the editor of Prevention magazine and feels lucky to be doing work she loves, even as the industry, in her words, “circles the potty” and resources are tight. She is still learning and taking that as a win. Her daughter, Viv, graduated from Sarah Lawrence in May and is working and writing, and Willow is finishing college, teaching art at Trans formative Schools (a trans-founded program for queer kids) and reading to the wee ones in drag.

Laura Flaxman moved to Oahu and would love to connect with other Wes folks in the area. 

Alissa Berman retired in 2024 and remarried that September. Life is very good, and she is loving not having to “report in” to anyone anymore. Her husband’s son welcomed a baby, making her a grandmother as well—a role she notes is much easier than parenting. She remains in Rhode Island with no intention of leaving and wishes everyone a wonderful 2026.

Jeff Brez is living in Rome with his husband of more than 30 years, Adriano, and their 11-year-old twin boys. He currently works in the Office of the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He and other Wesleyan alumni have started a Wes group in Rome, and classmates are welcome to send him a cell number to be added to the “WesinRome” WhatsApp group for raucous monthly aperitivos and general camaraderie. He can be reached at jeffreybrez@yahoo.com or via LinkedIn.

Daniel Cantor is a full professor and head of the BFA Acting Program at the University of Michigan and appreciates having space there to pursue freelance work as well. Recent projects include performing in Waste at Marin Theatre Company and acting in the indie film 30-Year-Old Bar Mitzvah. Upcoming work includes directing a short film he wrote and returning to Marin Theatre to perform in Pictures from Home. A few years ago, he appeared on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt. He has one daughter, Olive, who will graduate from Boston University in May as a film major. He remains in regular touch with Pete [Ward] Farnsworth and Ted Skillman ’91 and recently reconnected with Eric Slovin and Mike Rubens ’90 while in New York.

Sherry (Lehr) Föhr is still teaching English at the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany, in the same building where she once took classes through the Wesleyan exchange program during junior year. Her department continues to send one or two students to Wesleyan each year. She walks to work through the scenic old city, with an office view of the famous castle, and still marvels at how lucky she has been to have such a great job in such a great place—especially considering that she never managed to get into an English class at Wes.

Phineas Baxandall took part in a strong Class of ’89 showing at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Nietzsch Factor, which also included a celebration of Vicious Circles, co-founded by classmates Lisa Brush and Laura Flaxman. He shared an Airbnb with Roger Kent, Ted Bardacke ’90, Rob Featherstone, and Ezra Brownstein ’91 (now Ezra Shales).

After 30 years on what he calls the “dark side,” Andy Nakahata recently accepted an appointment from California Governor Gavin Newsom as chief executive officer and executive director of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank). The IBank is the state’s only general-purpose financing authority, with a broad mandate to support infrastructure and economic development through bonds, loans, credit enhancement, and the leveraging of state and federal funds. Andy notes that the role has been a significant change but one he is thoroughly enjoying, offering the chance to learn new areas and make a meaningful impact. He credits his Wesleyan liberal arts background as strong preparation for this career shift and adds that he is having a great time in the role as he starts off 2026.

Happy spring, classmates. Hope you’re enjoying the season wherever you are. Steve writes for this column.

Elline Lipkin’s third book, Girl in a Forest, was published by Trio House Press in October 2025. It was a bright spot in a challenging year that started tragically: “My home was one of 9,400 structures lost in the Eaton Fire that tore through Altadena on January 7 and 8. Most of 2025 was spent on ‘recovery,’ and now that we’re past the one-year mark, I’m hoping much of 2026 will focus on ‘restoration.’” Elline’s looking forward to a panel with Kate Bernheimer on the use of fairy tales and myth in contemporary writing at the Associated Writing Program Conference (AWP) in Baltimore in March and hopes to say hello to any alums who might be there.

Christie Trott stays active with substitute teaching and volunteering at a women’s correctional facility after retiring from full-time teaching. Her highlight of 2025 was time spent with her dad, Steve Trott ’62: “At 86, he is busier than I am—regularly performing magic shows and lecturing on the Supreme Court and Beethoven for his fellow retirement home residents (many of whom are retired Stanford professors). I aspire to be just like him at that age!”

Her husband, Brad, will join her in the retirement club this year, and they look forward to adventures traveling and hiking as much as possible. They’re also in another highly popular club with ’88ers: the kids in college club! Daughter Sam is a (third generation!) Wesleyan sophomore and son Josh is a Stanford freshman. She also wants to say she’s proud of Wesleyan President Michael Roth for his courageous leadership and for speaking out in stormy political times.

Peter will write for the next update. Thanks for sharing your news and please keep it coming. 

Hello, Friends!

We are reporting continued connections with Wesleyan friends—even across class boundaries.

Melissa Marks says, “My son, Archie Caride ’23, opened a curatorial project space in Brooklyn and included my work in his inaugural exhibition! The space is called Chorus, and the show features three other Wesleyan artists: John Bell Rush ’23, Kelly Nano-Miranda ’23, and Pelumi Sokunbi ’25!” Melissa’s husband, Vicente Caride ’85, was instrumental for his support. Melissa installed a three-wall, permanent, mural installation at a new Rutgers University hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey! She had a solo exhibition at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center in New York that included improvisational wall drawing while the gallery was open. 

Wendy Blum got together with many WesFriends recently, including a clothing swap at Sumana Rangachar’s with Pauline Frommer ’88 and Michele Ahern; a meal with Eddie Zas,Simon Heart, and Johanna Van Hise Heart; and another with John Fitzpatrick and Muzzy Rosenblatt! She met with Lee Cohen Hare,Mitchie Topper, and Molly Rabinowitz. She and Christie Trott ’88 saw John Proctor is the Villain. In Massachusetts, Wendy saw Paul Gosselin ’88, Nancy Nachbar ’89, Steve Morison ’88, and connected with Steve Kullback ’89. She is still dancing with George Russell ’83, and she saw Meg Fry ’91 and Emily Fraenkel Faulkner ’86. She had a surprise meeting with Jada Shapiro ’99 and her spouse, Dan, and spent time with Debby Hamilton in California. Finally, she joined many of our class in rooting for Michael Bennet in his Colorado governor campaign!

Ken Sabbag continues to thrive in Pasadena, California, with his wife, Maggie, and three college-age daughters. With a nearly constant schedule of on-campus activities, having an empty nest means a life of constant travel across the country. An orthopedic hand surgeon, he says his work and life are pretty steady. When he got engaged 24 years ago, his future in-laws nicknamed him “the annuity,” but Ken is looking forward to winding down to work on his bucket list. They were planning to go to Patagonia in January to visit the namesake of his favorite clothing line. Ken saw crew coach Phil Carney at the Head of the Charles Regatta last October and cheered loudly for the Cardinal crew.  

Lisa Ranghelli met up in Salzburg with Karen Goldenberg, her frosh quad mate on third floor Clark, to visit Alpine villages. She celebrated Trisha Lindemann’s 60th in NYC, along with Janet Lieberman. Lisa recently caught up with Eve Halper, who moved with her husband from Arizona to Colorado. Lisa keeps regular contact with Rachael Nusbaum ’88 and they hang out in NYC whenever Rachael comes east from San Francisco. Professionally, Lisa has enjoyed working with Sinead Keogh ’14 at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, where she oversees the Research and Evaluation Department. A previous coworker there was Victoria (Ramos) Hill ’15. Lisa says it’s great to see smart, committed alumnae in the field of public health.

Sarah Plagenz Liepert met up with her freshman roommate Jenifer Goldman Fraser for Mistral Music’s December concert. She credits this magazine’s profile piece (some 20 years ago!) on founder/flutist Julie Scolnik ’78 for introducing her to Mistral’s chamber ensemble. Sarah serves on the board and invites those near Andover or Brookline to come to a performance. Jenifer plays violin in an orchestra at Groton Hill Music Center, and Sarah might be inspired to pick up her flute again!

Book news! Jason Loviglio’s book, Empathy Machines: This American Life, Podcasting, and the Public Radio Structure of Feeling, came out in January 2026. Jason is a professor at the University of Maryland. Rebecca Bratspies’s co-authored book, Environmental Justice: Law, Policy and Regulation, was also published in January, and another co-authored book, Teaching Environmental Law in Context, will release in the spring of 2026. Rebecca welcomes visitors to check in with her in New Orleans.

Paul Zoltan has moved with his wife and their eight-year-old daughter Natalia from Dallas back to Cleveland, where he represents immigrants facing deportation.

Margaret Sheppard Kelly has been serving as an environmental scientist at the EPA in Washington, D.C., for the past 35 years. She says 2025 was an exercise in uncertainty. She made it through colleagues’ voluntary and involuntary departures; a reorganization; new limits to ensure taxpayers’ money is used wisely (or slowly); and the longest-ever government shutdown, although her group was exempted. Margaret expects 2026 will continue the adventure.

Steve Shackman and his firm secured a landmark win in New York’s highest court, clarifying that “good guy” guarantors are released once a tenant properly surrenders a space—no landlord sign-off required. The decision has been recognized as a major shift in commercial leasing law. Go, Steve!

The days are lengthening in January, but by the time you read this, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will be enjoying more sunlit evenings.

We’re getting closer and closer to our 40th Reunion, classmates. Debbie and I hope to see you there. 

As for class notes,we have some very sad news to report. Sharon Alison Kost passed away peacefully at her home on December 16, 2025, attended by her beloved husband, Sam Koszer, and sons, Joshua and Bryan Koszer, following a courageous and determined battle with multiple health problems. Sharon earned her BA in biology, psychology, and philosophy in 1986 at Wesleyan, an MS at New York University in psychology, before completing clinical training at the Ackerman Institute for Family. Her obituary notes that her career as a social worker was a true calling, where she offered compassion, guidance, and unwavering support to those in need. 

Erika Levy shares that she is still enjoying her work as professor of communication sciences and disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is very much looking forward to our reunion, not only to reconnect with fellow ’86ers, but also to celebrate her daughter’s graduation from Wesleyan.

Eric Heinze writes: “My latest news is the publication, with the MIT Press, of Coming Clean: The Rise of Critical Theory and the Future of the Left. It is featured in a number of news outlets and podcasts, in the U.S. and internationally, including New Books Network, hosted by Caleb Zakarin ’20. [My] op-ed for Merion West on Trump’s destruction of free speech is currently featuring in their Top 10 of 2025.

Kris Bluemel announced that she “is proud and relieved to report that my book Enchanted Wood: Engraving a Place for Women Artists in Rural Britain was published around Christmastime by the University of Minnesota Press. It has nearly 90 illustrations, so you don’t have to read it to enjoy it. You can just admire the wood engravings. Research for Enchanted Wood was supported by a Leverhulme Visiting Professorship at Newcastle University and a publication grant of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m still professor of English and Wayne D. McMurray and Helen Bennett Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Monmouth University. Very recently, I’ve moved into a position of associate dean at Monmouth, finding myself a late but eager bloomer in academic administration. George Justice, who I did not know when we were English majors, has been a great help with emails and published advice.” 

Ethan Knowlden reports: “Retirement for me turned into sitting on three nonprofit boards, which somehow wasn’t feeding my desire to serve sufficiently, so I’m now a candidate for city council here in Scottsdale, Arizona. My first campaign since running for class president in eighth grade—which I won. This will take up most of my 2026, but I still plan on attending our 40th Reunion. Hope to see you all there!”

Mike Sealander writes: “I’ve spent the last 25 years in eastern Maine, pretending to be back to the land while running a small commercial architecture firm. I’ve become obsessed with achieving bilingual status (Japanese). Any classmates or nearly classmates who want to relive conversation hour, feel free to reach out.”

Monica Jahan Bose writes: “Hello, from occupied Washington, D.C.!  We are hanging in there during this deeply disturbing time for our nation. I am continuing my art and activism. I am collaborating with a young Black artist friend, Autumn Spears, on a duo project called ‘Braids & Threads: Connecting Legacies’ at Washington Project for the Arts in Dupont Circle. If you are in D.C., please get in touch. Michael Bennett ’87 and I are still in D.C. and our two girls are women now. One graduates from Bryn Mawr in May and wants to be a vet, and the other is in grad school in Portland, Oregon, for nursing/midwifery and is soon getting married. In the past year, I have seen classmates Kathryn Lotspeich Villano and Susan Lanham and had phone visits with Sarah Porter, Debbie Alter-Starr, and Julia Joun. I am reading Kristen Bluemel’s new book, Enchanted Woods. I highly recommend it! Sending New Year wishes for resilience to my Wes friends!”

News from Tierney Sutton: “40 YEARS! Good lord. I should have known based on the fact that my son, Ryan, is almost 30. He is a competitive video gamer and travels as much as I do. I’m married to a Parisian guitarist, Serge Merlaud, and for the last 10-plus years, I split my off-the-road time between LA and Paris. (Trying to convince Serge that LA really is nicer from November to March.) This spring I will release my 16th (or 17th) CD as leader. It’s entitledSpring and is a duo set with piano virtuoso Tamir Hendelman. I’ll be touring throughout 2026: in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, Buffalo, Nashville, Ann Arbor, Green Bay, Denver, Durham, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Paris, Brussels, Tel Aviv, and more. . .  The tour climaxes on May 22 at Wesleyan for the 40th Reunion! Sure hope to see you guys (there) OR on the road! For more information: tierneysutton.com.”

Bennett Schneider writes: “I was officially hired by the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles as a performer for their annual music education plays that teach school kids about classical music. Just marked the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which I helped found. This means I’ve been an orange drag nun for 30 years now! Karen Escovitz sent me some pieces of her beautiful pottery last spring. Have been hanging out with Lisa Rosen, Al Septien ’85, Wan Yeung MA ’17, and talking to Melinda Newman, Nathan Gebert ’85, Cobina Gillitt ’87, Ellen (Limburg) Santistevan, Peter Braverman, Raph Worrick ’88, Julia Barclay-Morton, Pauline Frommer ’88, Peter Wetherbee ’85, and just had a visit with Debbie Alter-Starr.”

Jonathan Harber reports: “One project that I have been working on (as founding chairman) is Runway Green (www.RUNWAYGREEN.org), a nonprofit, public-private partnership that is reimagining education and workforce development. It is creating pathways for New York City students and families to thrive and build a better world. In partnership with the National Park Service, we are developing an unprecedented education and workforce development ecosystem on some of our region’s most ecologically rich parklands at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. I, strangely, also just record an album.”

Jeff Liss reports: “My wife and I have settled into living in Turtle Bay on the east side of Manhattan. I now work for a large distributor of dental and medical products and services, responsible for business-to-business eCommerce. I am counting down the days to early retirement when I can follow one of my passions, which is to be a New York City tour guide. I passed the exam last year to get licensed and have started slowly offering walking tours to friends and family. If you are visiting, or live in, New York City, I’d be happy to tell you about the history and stories of Midtown East! Check me out at www.beyondthesights.nyc.”

Lydia Crawford writes: “I retired from my legal career in 2024, with a goal of sitting less—and now I wonder if my body can keep that up! I volunteer at a food shelf and deliver food to elders. I got my lifeguard certification (humbling to be in the class with mostly 16-year-old high school swimmers), so my actual job is lifeguarding a few hours a week, with the benefit of free membership to the community center where I swim and take exercise classes. My husband, Phil, and I adopted a stretch of highway in Minnesota, so we regularly pick up trash—we always find a few interesting items and then dream up stories of how a manual typewriter, a bottle of olive oil, or 50 pounds of butchered venison came to rest by the side of Highway 30. We have traveled a bit more, including some backpacking trips in Colorado and California, and will hike part of the Inca Trail in May. Our two adult children are gainfully employed and living in the Twin Cities, so we see them fairly often. Minnesota has been my home for 35 years and it is a wonderful place, contrary to the negative and disturbing attention the state has received of late.”

Dana Leslie Goldstein writes that she is a playwright and lyricist living in Brooklyn, New York. Her play, Go Down, Moses, which was inspired by events at Wesleyan in the ’80s, will have its premiere production in NYC in May 2026. “It would be great to see Wes alumni there!” Dana is also working on a commission to write the new musical, Song of Judith, for National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and KEAKA Productions. And she was lucky enough to have James Hallett in the cast of her musical CHOICE(s) last spring. Dana is a librettist and lyricist in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and also develops her work with PlayGround–NY, Brave New World Rep, and The Workshop Theater.Dana’s husband, Rob McIntosh, not a Wes alum himself, frequently games with Jonathan Fried ’89, who is one of the few people around with a more expansive board game collection than Rob and Dana’s. Nerds! Dana’s kids (also nerds) are grown and now live in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, which means she finally needed to face her fear of flying, a subject that comes up (usually comedically) in several of her plays.  

Ellen (Limburg) Santistevan writes: “2025 was a uniquely challenging year personally as well as nationally. The good outweighed the bad, as it usually does, if I put my mind to it.  

In addition to my bodywork practice, I teach a fair bit of continuing education. I also took a part-time job at a motorcycle repair shop, a fun way to change up my environment and skill set so my brain doesn’t fossilize. I am thoroughly enjoying the chance to be in ‘beginners mind’ and not having to be an expert in my field.

“I purchased a 1968 Harley Davidson/Aermacchi Rapido as a restoration project. I joined the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA), and my chapter mates and friends have been an invaluable resource for getting the bike roadworthy. After getting her all the way down to the frame, we are now rebuilding, and it is so satisfying to see the bike come back together. The AMCA is a true nerd herd; I have a special admiration for these geniuses.

“I have been dealing with hypercalcemia for over a year, which has a variety of unpleasant effects. Luckily, it did not turn out to be a sign of multiple myeloma, but a benign parathyroid tumor. Unluckily, the only cure is surgery (in January). 

“Travel highlights in 2025 included a road trip to help my daughter bring her 1972 VW Beetle from Tucson to a mechanic in Minneapolis, where she now lives. We trailered it through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and finally Minnesota. We had a blast. I came home on a different route and hit little roadside attractions and Americana. I think every person, especially national politicians, should trek through the Heartland and see what it’s about. My second big adventure was going to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for the 85th anniversary. 

Tim Burke and Karen Escovitz have asked me to go (to the 40th Reunion), but I am somewhat allergic to reunions.”

“It’s been a busy year for me (Scott Michaud) between work and play—I’m still speechwriting for the U.S. Space Force, helping shape the culture of the newest branch of our nation’s military. This recently included a behind-the-scenes visit to Kennedy Space Center for a rocket launch . . .  amazing technology by very, very smart people. I’m still learning from these space nerds daily, although, unsurprisingly, I’m still a long way from becoming a rocket scientist. In October, I gave a presentation at the Professional Speechwriters Association World Conference on the challenges and benefits of speechwriting in the federal government, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. And, yes, it is more challenging now than ever.

“In more personal news, my eldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, which led my wife and I to the uncomfortable realization that we’d both been living with similar symptoms. We’re adjusting to this and taking some comfort in the knowledge that we’ve lived our lives the way we have with good reason. Now we are rolling up our sleeves to ensure our two daughters are better equipped to navigate the modern world than we were growing up. Apologies to my classmates who had to put up with Scott’s ‘Small Attention Span Theater’ way back when.”

Debbie Alter-Starradds, “I’m really looking forward to our reunion as a chance to travel East to see old friends from Wesleyan—it’s been a while. When my husband and I travel, it’s usually “off-grid” (hiking, kayaking, nature immersion) in our campervan and/or to spend time with family and close friends. For several years—last time was in in fall, 2021—travel was also to Ukraine to visit our older son. Both our grown sons live in Northern California now and are going into my field as therapists and/or social workers with a public policy orientation respectively—cracks me up! We see them a lot and took them and their partners to Puerto Vallarta last spring to celebrate my cancer-free status. 

“I became a clinical social worker after being an RA at Wesleyan and receiving encouragement to become a therapist. My passion is more so activism and being a social worker at large, helping people who don’t know where to turn. I’m now retired, following my passions and taking care of my 89-year-old mother. My lifelong dream I keep working on is building community across Spanish- and English-speaking populations and diverse cultural groups here in the Napa Valley. Our young people and their parents are over 50% Latino, and our agricultural industry (grapes) was built by, and is maintained by, immigrants. I would like to network with fellow alumni working on immigration issues.

“I picked up Kris Bluemel’s new book, and I have Elaine Taylor-Klaus’s older book, The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids. I’m hoping to pick Elaine’s brains re: ADHD, which runs in my family too. I love Jennifer Natalya Fink’s (’88) books as well.”

Marc Stein’s sixth book, Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s, was published by the University of Chicago Press in March. In April, he’ll begin a one-year term as the president of the 6,000-member Organization of American Historians. “I still remember my amazing history classes at Wesleyan—taught by Henry Abelove, Eugene Golob, Jill Morawski, Phil Pomper, Rosalind Rosenberg, Vera Schwarcz, Clarence Walker, and a few others.”

Scott Rosenzweig was elected to the Montana State Assembly in 2024 (by just 17 votes!), and he is now running for state senate.

In other Montana news, Dave Given has lived almost four years in Lolo, Montana, three and a half of those retired. He notes it’s “quite the change from 30-plus years in Natick, Massachusetts! Zero regrets though, with no end of outdoor fun, be it on foot with the dogs, on horseback (my wife, Irene), off roading (me), or even rafting the many rivers out here. Here at the house, we’ve had elk, bears, and one mountain lion, so there’s that too.” Dave points out that the elk don’t necessarily come to the house; they have several acres!

Margaret Bracken Thompson sent along several wonderful pictures from our Reunion last spring.