Tag: 1993

Hi, everyone. I hope you are doing well. We have exciting news to share, including career updates and a new baby. It is hard to believe that our 25th Reunion is approaching, and that it has been nearly a quarter century since we haunted Mocon and Foss Hill. We hope you will consider returning to Middletown to rekindle old friendships, explore the new parts of campus, and hang out with fellow Cardinals this May.

Jacob Bricca writes, “I’m living in Tucson with my wife and son, and teaching at the University of Arizona. Focal Press will be publishing my first book, Documentary Editing: Principles and Practice, next February. It’s based on my 20 years of experience cutting documentaries, and features interviews with editors such as Geoff Richman (The Cove), Kim Roberts (The Hunting Ground) and Mary Lampson (Harlan County, USA). I’m currently cutting two documentaries: Marriage Cops, which chronicles the exploits of female police officers engaged in marriage counseling sessions with couples of all kinds in northern India, and my wife Lisa Molomot’s documentary Missing in Brooks County, a portrait of a Texas city far from the border where an interior border checkpoint is causing scores of migrant deaths.

Scott Robbins writes, “I am still in Poplar Bluff, Mo., where I am a partner in a five-lawyer firm. My practice focuses on representation of rural water and sewer districts, as well as the general practice of law in small-town Missouri. I was recently elected to the Missouri Bar’s Board of Governors, where I look forward to helping preserve Missouri’s non-partisan court plan, which has been adopted to avoid judicial elections by more than 30 other states.”

Ivan Sheldon writes, “While my favorite job is taking care of three spirited daughters, I also feel lucky to be working in the thriving Chicago technology scene. Specifically I am advising a number of large firms on highly automated driving/the future of mobility and mentoring leaders of small start-ups. Speaking of start-ups, it was particularly fun to meet Leeatt Rothschild ’02 and learn about her great social impact company, Packed with Purpose (packedwithpurpose.gifts). The firm offers corporate gifts with products made by organizations that help individuals and communities in need.”

Antonia Townsend writes, “Jack Townsend Marshall was born May 3, 2017. Recruitment starts young. I’m still running my lingerie business, Enclosed. I’ve recently seen David Derryck, Erica Terry Derryck ’95, Chris Mulhauser ’92, and Jenny Work Blattner in San Francisco and Lucius Outlaw when I visited D.C.”

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Chris Richardson has been named trauma medical director at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.

Lisa Brown writes, “Daniel Handler ’92 and I just published our latest literary collaboration: a picture book called Goldfish Ghost. It’s about a dead goldfish. In other news, our son’s fish just died. Coincidence?”

Noah Rosen became an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Hofstra School of Medicine. He remains the program director of the neurology residency at Northwell Health, and the director of the Northwell Headache Center.

Monique Schaulis is living in San Francisco where she has a great job at Kaiser San Francisco, split between emergency and palliative medicine. She helps dying people opt out of our crazy medical system and focus on what they are hoping for at the end of life. She’s done a lot of work over the last few years with an organization called Vital Talk, which aims to deepen physician, patient relationships by teaching communication skills. Her kids are 8 and 10, and they go to Mandarin school in the city. She still works with Christine O’Brien ’95, and had dinner with Kate Blumberg ’92 and Rachel Williams ’90. She was saddened to learn of the death of Ken Hirsch ’91, a friend and doctor.

Karen Powell and family have moved to Melbourne, Australia. Karen is the director of teaching and a senior lecturer (tax) at Deakin Law School. Deakin University is a large public university with several campuses in Australia. She sold the distillery she founded, Triple Divide Spirits, which is alive and well in Helena, Mont. If any Wes grads come through Melbourne, please do get in touch: k.powell@deakin.edu.au.

Jodi Samuels lives in Sacramento, Calif., with her spouse, Evan, and two cats. She works as deputy director of development and training for the California Primary Care Association, which supports more than 1,100 community health center sites statewide, work she reports feels even more urgent as they fight to maintain the progress they’ve made in California in increasing access to healthcare for all. She volunteers with WEAVE, which provides services to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She also volunteers for the Alliance Française de Sacramento, and joined the local League of Women Voters to increase her advocacy activities and community involvement. She and Evan have been traveling a bunch (Rome, Austin, and Honolulu) and they’re heading to Panama this winter.

Laura (Davidson) Ross and her husband, Gregg ’90, are moving to Los Angeles in June. Laura will be taking a new job as the head of the upper school campus at the Harvard-Westlake School, and Gregg will be teaching math at the middle school campus of the same school.

Abigail Lorber Clarkson writes, “For years, every time the Wesleyan magazine arrived, I got a pit in my stomach thinking about all the extraordinary alumni who would be profiled, and how humdrum my life seems in comparison. Now I’ve decided to embrace the ordinariness of my life, knowing that there must be many of us who are living quiet lives that may not make headlines, but are nevertheless remarkable in their own way. So here’s the latest from my family. This summer we moved back to Asheville, N.C., after a three-year stint in Austin, Texas, where my husband, J., was in seminary. He received his MDiv degree in May and will be ordained an Episcopal priest in August. Our daughter, Louisa, who has been known to make an appearance in an inflatable T-rex costume, will be starting high school this fall. As of this writing I am looking for a job in Asheville, hoping to continue my role as right-hand-person to top executives.”

After 10 years working at Duke, Anne Beaven is taking a new position running the lymphoma program at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill. She’s very excited about the new opportunity, not to mention the commute—a mere two miles from her house. Her son, Eli, is finishing up second grade, and her wife leaves for Australia soon for a six-month stint working with Save the Children.

Casey O’Neill, along with his co-host, Keith O’Brien, won the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s Innovator Award for their show, Casey and the Sports Doctor. The show, which is produced by The Day and is available at theday.com/sports/gameday and on Facebook at GameDay-Connecticut Sports, is a sports talk show that features segments on Connecticut sports as well as national sports. Casey and Keith also took third place in the same category for their work on GameDay, which broadcasts high school sports with ESPN quality production.

Warm regards,

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Warm regards,

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

NEWSMAKERS | 1990s NEWSMAKER JONATHAN BUSH ’93 Jonathan Bush ’93, chairman and CEO of athenahealth, was honored by Tufts Medical Center with the Ellen M. Zane Award for Visionary Leadership. Michael Wagner, MD, CEO and president of Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children, noted that he was proud that Tufts Medical Center “share[s] Jonathan’s enthusiasm to drive change in health care for the greater good.” Bush, who co-founded athenahealth, Inc., in 1997, took it public in 2007 in the most successful initial public offering that year. In his best-selling book, Where Does it Hurt? An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Fixing Health Care, Bush draws on his early experiences on health care’s frontlines. Previously, Bush served as an emergency medical technician for the City of New Orleans, was trained as a medic in the U.S. Army, and worked as a management consultant in the health care practice of Booz Allen Hamilton. He majored in the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows.

Sue writes for this issue. Hi, everyone! We hope you are doing well. We have some exciting updates—new books, documentaries, albums, and mini-Wes reunions. It’s always fun hearing from you, so please stay in touch.

Jacob Bricca is working on a book about documentary editing to be published next year by Focal Press. He edited the 2016 Sundance award-winning documentary, The Bad Kids, which premieres in theaters around the country on Oct. 21.

Lisa Brown writes, “May was the release of a new picture book I wrote and illustrated, The Airport Book. It’s about, well, the airport. Next May will see Goldfish Ghost, a picture book by my husband (Daniel Handler ’92, better known in children’s literature circles as “Lemony Snicket”) and illustrated by yours truly. It’s about a dead goldfish. Besides drawing up a storm, I’ve been teaching undergraduates in the illustration department of California College of the Arts.”

Dan Crane has a new album coming out with his band, Ray & Remora, of which Consequence of Sound said, “It could be where pop’s headed next.” It’s his 10th album. Also, he’s hosting a monthly-ish, Jewish-ish podcast called, The Kibitz, which features interviews with guests like David Wain (Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer), Jonathan Weisman (New York Times), author Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn), Jeff Goldblum, and Joel Stein (Time Magazine). kibitzpod.com.

Paul and Jessica D’Arcy are still in Austin, Texas. Jess keeps busy running an education-focused nonprofit and Paul leads marketing for Indeed, the large online job site. Their brood of three (Maya is 14, Ellis is 12, and Liam is 8) are still mostly sweet. Paul is trying to spend as much time as possible outdoors (running, kayaking, swimming, paddle boarding), but Jess insists it’s just a phase.

Sylvia Sironi Rowe writes, “Ian and I took a family road trip to visit Camille Aird McGadney and Andy McGadney ’92 in Maine this summer along with our kids (ages 4 and 6). It was a great visit catching up with old friends over lobsters and blueberry pie! I’m still working (now part-time) with the Clinton Health Access Initiative on HIV and malaria-focused projects, and Ian runs Public Prep, a network of single-sex charter schools in NYC. We live in Pelham Manor, N.Y., and are loving the suburban life!”

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Sue writes: Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. As you have probably heard, this has been an exciting summer for Wesleyan alumni everywhere with Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 clinching a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for his newest hit, Hamilton. While I haven’t yet been able to get a ticket (which is a testimony to the success of this show), it is indeed exciting for Wes alumni and particularly for the class of 2002.

Sarah and I have some exciting updates—trips around the world, new jobs, mini-Wes reunions, and a few marathons. If you haven’t sent an update lately, please write soon. It’s always fun hearing from a fellow Cardinal. And now, without further ado, here is the news from our neck of the woods.

Aaron Barr writes: “My wife and I are now back in Seattle after finishing out a 15-month, 18-country trip around the world, where we met and worked with indigenous artists in as many countries as we could. We documented the whole experience at NoMapRequired.com and continue to add to the site as a local blog. Slowly getting used to being back in the US again and staying in one place for more than a month. The job hunt has now begun!”

Christopher Cowan recently accepted an endowed chair faculty position at the Medical University of South Carolina, and will be moving his family and research lab from Boston to Charleston, S.C. in early June 2016.

Arik Greenberg led an interfaith march on Sunday, March 6, 2016, in Los Angeles as a show of solidarity from all faiths for our Muslim brothers and sisters living amid a world rife with Islamophobia. He still teaches at Loyola Marymount University, and is serving as dean of academics at the fledgling Ezra University, rapidly moving toward initial accreditation. He is also preparing for his first powerlifting meet on June 19.

Arthur Magni e-mails: “I still don my (pilfered) Cardinal-red team singlet with pride during races and did so at this year’s marathon, as I have for many other marathons. But before I continue, I should clarify that unlike past years when I officially qualified and lined up at the start, I only jumped in (bandited) at mile 7 this year to join a fellow alum, Jon Chesto, who started properly with a number and ran a quite impressive sub-3 for a 40-something on a warm day. I’m happy to report that while Jon was the more impressive runner, I got more call-outs from the crowd for ‘Go Wes’ or ‘Wesleyan!’ As a bonus, the supporters knew the difference in pronunciation between our alma mater and Wellesley.”

Emmanuelle Slossberg writes: “Just a quick note to let you know that my husband, Matt, and our daughters, Eva (8) and Mae (4), went to Amy Barrett’s ’94 house for a weekend in Claremont, Calif. Amy and Jonathan have two lovely boys, Everett and Desmond, and of course, let’s not forget Daisy, the Jack Russell queen of the house!

“With all of this parenting, I have realized the little that I know, notwithstanding books and books and ‘how to’s’ so I am organizing a small experimental workshop in New York City led by a wonderful Greek woman named Haroula Ntalla (child, couple and family therapist and professor) on parenting as a way to see how we can all benefit from a little ‘live’ guidance. I will keep you posted. At this point, everyone I speak to is quite receptive to the idea that we can always learn some basics vs. learning on the job. If you think about it, you can learn astrophysics and even playwriting, but one of the most important things we do is a little overlooked. Madeleine Lansky, who is a superstar child psychiatrist in San Francisco, was a great source of support—and humor, too! I also had a quick chat with Dina Kaplan who has since started her own incredible effort to get New Yorkers to meditate.”

Gavin Whitelaw also shared an update: “After eight years of working in Tokyo as associate professor of anthropology at International Christian University (ICU), my family and I will be moving back to the Boston area where I will take up the position of executive director of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.”

Suzanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Hi, classmates. We hope you are doing well. It’s always wonderful hearing from Wes friends. There are a few exciting updates, and we hope you keep sharing your news with us.

Aaron Barr writes, “My wife and I are on a 15ish-month trip around the world! Currently in the UK, after doing a 17-day horse trek in Mongolia and exploring Bali for awhile, we’re about to start month 12. If anyone would like to follow our adventures, we’re blogging at nomaprequired.com and facebook.com/nomaprequired.

Sue Henshon received a fellowship in June 2015 to attend a faculty seminar at Oxford University, sponsored by the Oxford Study Abroad Program.

Jodi Samuels shares this update: “I was promoted to deputy director of development and training at the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) in July, taking on a greater leadership role in the organization and continuing to oversee grants development, stewardship, and management, along with supervising our statewide Web-based and in-person training program. My annual fitness goal this year was to run a race every month, and I’ll be finishing up with the Urban Cow 1/2 Marathon on Oct. 4th (I’ve participated in this race annually for the past 11 years, ever since we moved to Sacramento). I’m also in my third year as a fundraising and special events volunteer for WEAVE (Women Escaping a Violent Environment), a local nonprofit that provides support to victims of domestic violence.”

Maura Solomon Woosley and her husband, Greg, are happy to report the birth of their daughter, Skylar Mackenzie Woosley, on Aug. 3, 2015. Maura lives in Arlington, Va., and still works at Citi as a managing director for their government affairs team in Washington, D.C.

Thanks so much,

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com

SARAH ESTOW | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Hi, everyone! Here’s the latest news from some of your classmates:

Jessica Gutow Viner has been named associate director of admission and financial aid at The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville.

Karen Powell will be teaching a variety of tax law courses at Ohio Northern University School of Law starting in the fall. While she’ll still be in Montana for the summers, she’ll be looking to connect with Wes alums in the Ohio area or who are also teaching at law schools around the country.

Lori Vaughan writes, “On April 10th, my husband (John Ferguson) and I welcomed our third child, Lucas. (He joins big brothers Ethan, 9, and Noah, 11.)”

Julie Hanauer was recently promoted to full professor.

Dan Crane continues freelancing for The New York Times, and has turned his 2013 Times article about his home renovation and divorce into a screenplay, currently in development. He’s also writing a story for California Sunday magazine about Hopscotch, a new “mobile opera” by Yuval Sharon which will be performed in and out of 24 cars driving around Los Angeles, premiering in October. His latest band, Ray & Remora, just recorded their first full-length album, which will be out soon. The video for their cover of Pavement’s Gold Sounds features cameos by Kim Gordon, Jeff Goldblum, and Stephen Malkmus. It’s from their 1994 EP, which came out last year, and has covers of six songs that all came out in…1994. He’ll head to Oulu, Finland, once again in August to emcee the 20th annual World Air Guitar Championships.

Dina Kaplan writes, “I just launched a new company called The Path that teaches meditation to people. Come join us if you’re in NYC: thepath.com/nyc—and I’d love to see fellow classmates in the city in general!”

Jessica Sternfeld became tenured associate professor of music at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., where she teaches classical music history and musical theater. She and her husband also became parents, in the summer of 2014, to Zola (now 5) and Harper (4), their two little girls adopted from Taiwan.

Aaron Barr writes, “My wife, Anner, and I are currently in month seven of a round-the-world trip! We’re hoping to make it a full year or more…we’ll have to see how we’re doing after our late August horse trek in Mongolia! Amazing just to write those words… Anyway, we’re blogging at nomaprequired.com and updating facebook at facebook.com/nomaprequired.”

Ghassan G. Medawar and his wife delivered their newborn son, George G. Medawar, in March 2015. He was born at The Lindo Wing, St Mary’s Hospital in London and was named after his paternal grandfather.

Keith Hay writes, “My wife, Fran, and I live in Denver with our three kids, Sonya (10), Anna (7), and Isaac (7). While Colorado’s mountains are still full of snow, we are preparing for a summer of camping, hiking, and climbing. We climbed our first 14er (14,000 foot summit) last summer (Mt. Democrat) and are hoping to do another one this summer. When I am not in the mountains I serve as a senior policy adviser to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.”

Liza Kleinman lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband and their 10-year-old daughter. Her novel for young readers, Azalea, Unschooled, was just released by Islandport Press.
Jason Gellman writes, “I recently joined Snell & Wilmer, LLP (www.swlaw.com), practicing public utility, energy and natural resources law out of the Phoenix office. I also am the incoming co-chair of the ABA Section on energy, environment, and natural resources—energy and infrastructure: siting and reliability committee, and I am to take over the reins as president of the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides scholarships and funding for student programs for students in the Phoenix Union high school district—the seventh largest in the country. I recently completed my second Tough Mudder in March and will complete the Spartan Trifecta with the 12-plus mile Beast in October in Lake Tahoe. Nothing like climbing up ropes, jumping off platforms, carrying buckets of gravel, sliding into 34-degree ice water and crawling under barbed wire through nasty-smelling mud in your 40s. Good times. Still here in the desert Southwest with my wife and three kids (10, 9, and 6). The kids keep me pretty occupied with grand performances and detailed explanations of upcoming events—on top of the other various activities. Busy times.”

Hi Wes ’93ers. Whenever you write, it reminds us of the wonderful experiences we had at Wesleyan. Fortunately, Wesleyan memories didn’t come to an abrupt end in May 1993; we continue to create new ones whenever we revisit the campus, reconnect with a classmate, or attend a Reunion. Thanks so much for sharing your news; we have career updates, trips around the world, and a b’not mitzvah in these notes.

Aaron Barr writes: “Things are actually pretty exciting for me and my wife, Anner, right now. We’re into month three of a year-long round-the-world trip! I’m currently e-mailing from Vilcabamba, Ecuador, after busing today from Saraguro, where we spent a couple of days meeting different indigenous artists. Loved it! If anyone is interested, we’re blogging at nomaprequired.com and Facebook-ing at nomaprequired. Always glad to hear from fellow Wes- lums!

Paul Foster sends this update: “I am an otolaryngologist (ENT) doctor in Miami. I have two kids, Emily and Alex, 10 and 11. We like mud runs, horseback riding in Colorado, growing multiple varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and the occasional skiing trip, like this last winter, when my daughter proudly joined the ranks of snowboarders and my son developed new records for straight downhill speed, not necessarily a good thing. Although many may remember me as a member of the Wesleyan Spirits, I don’t sing much anymore, except in the operating room.”

Arik Greenberg keeps busy lecturing at Loyola Marymount, serving as the academic dean at Sierra State University, and heading up the Institute for Religious Tolerance, Peace, and Justice, an interfaith activism group. He is also renovating his parents’ house in Long Island, writing a book, The Exile, and keeping busy with numerous other projects in academia. Arik saw Dan Kapelovitz and Noel Lawrence at a screening of Dan’s movie, Triple Fisher, in Hollywood this past fall.

Mike Heman e-mails: “I’m living in Boston with my wife, Megan, whom I met at Wes when she transferred for a semester from Wellesley. I’m a professor of biology at MIT and director of the MIT grad program in biology. My research lab works on cancer therapy, and we’re hosting an undergrad from Wes for a research internship this summer.”

Sue Henshon’s novel, Andy Lightfoot and the Time Warp, was published on Amazon Kindle.

Dina Kaplan’s update: “After two years traveling the world (I know, rough life) I just launched a new company called The Path, which teaches ancient meditation techniques but in a modern way, to a very modern audience. Come join us and/or say hi if you’re in NYC or L.A.!”

Jason Moss writes, “Having worked at Kaplan Test Prep since 2007, I recently launched a new business (as part of Kaplan) called Metis (thisismetis.com), which accelerates people’s careers in data science. Right now, we do this by teaching intensive 12-week ‘bootcamps’ in New York. Aside from work, I’ve been blogging about billiards movies (billiardsmovies.com), running races like the Tough Mudder, re-reading the whole Harry Potter series to my son, and developing a liking for single malt Scotch.”

Stacy Olitsky moved back to Philly and is an assistant professor of teacher education at Saint Joseph’s University. She also plays banjo in several local bands.

Antonia Townsend writes: “I had a birthday party, where I got to see David Derryck and Erica Terry Derryck. We are in year two of selling sumptuous knickers here at Enclosed (TheEnclosed.com). I’m thrilled to report we can count several classmates as customers! While living in San Francisco we are spending every weekend we can up in Tahoe, so let us know if you are near the lake!”

Sadie Van Buren congratulates Dennis Toner ’95 on his promotion to enterprise sales manager, Cloud, at Microsoft. She and Dennis connected in 2014 through their work at BlueMetal Architects, and in her new role as director of strategic alliances at BlueMetal. She is looking forward to many more years of working with Dennis as a partner.

Jessica Gutow Viner and Dan Viner celebrated the b’not mitzvah of their twin daughters, Gaby and Rebecca, in November. They live in Nashville, where Dan practices ENT, and Jessica works for Vanderbilt in admissions. Son Jacob, 11, is following in Dan’s shoes on the soccer pitch.

John Weathers writes, “I have moved back to Philadelphia and although missing Colorado, I’m adjusting again to life in the big city and being a single dad. In addition to spending time with my two wonderful daughters, Rose (9) and Eden (7), I’m now a senior researcher at the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education, where I have research and development projects including a large project in Egypt funded by USAID to develop innovative secondary STEM schools. Still playing bluegrass, old-time, and folk music and recently started a project to take people on music and arts adventures to different parts of the world. If you’re interested, you can check out the project at culturalbridgeproject.com or on Facebook: theculturalbridgeproject.”

Smokey Fontaine writes, “After seven years as CCO of Interactive One, I launched my own digital creative agency this year called a+ (aplusdream.com), dedicated to high-end original content, experiences, and strategy. Was proud to work with Paramount Pictures, as one of my first clients, on the film Selma. My beautiful wife, Stephanie Addison-Fontaine, was elected to the Tenafly, N.J., Board Of Education, becoming the first Black woman to ever serve in one of New Jersey’s highest performing school districts.”

Thanks so much for sharing all your news!

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com

SARAH ESTOW | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Hi, Wes ’93ers. We have some exciting news in these class notes: a wedding, a few career updates, and some mini-Wes reunions. Please keep the good news coming in!

Jacob Bricca writes: “My family and I have moved to Tucson, Ariz., where I have taken a job as assistant professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television. I specialize in teaching editing classes and also teach documentary and narrative production. My feature documentary Tatanka has been screening around the country at film festivals and will be released on DVD and download early next year.”

Abigail Lorber Clarkson e-mails: “My family and I moved to Austin, Texas, this summer. Our daughter, Louisa, has become friends with Jessica and Paul D’Arcy’s oldest daughter, Maya, and goes to the same school as John Wallingford’s ’92 children. I am working at St. David’s Foundation as an executive assistant and database administrator in the grants department, and my husband is studying for his master’s in divinity.”

Chris Cowan provides this update: “In late 2012, I moved my research lab (integrative neurobiology laboratory) to the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital (Belmont, Mass.). We are currently studying brain mechanisms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism, and neuropsychiatric disorders, like drug addiction.”

Bobby Donaldson writes: “Recently completed nine years of service on the Wesleyan Board of Trustees. Currently I serve as a professor of history and the faculty principal of a residential college at the University of South Carolina. I thoroughly enjoy living (along with my family) in the heart of our campus in a community of 230 undergraduates. Not quite Foss Hill and Butterfield! I continue to be involved in a number of public history and documentary projects related to education, civil rights and youth activism, which have been featured in national publications and C-SPAN. My wife, Elise, and I have two children, Ruby (8) and Joseph (3)—who just began (today) school in a public Montessori program in our city.”

Clay Dreslough (née Dresser) e-mails: “My wife (Dee) and I finally bought the farm. It is 17 acres in Ashford, Conn. (about halfway between Middletown and Boston), and currently boasts one dog, two steer, eight cats, and about 30 chickens. We also successfully launched a pro football card game on Kickstarter earlier this year. It’s called Masters of the Gridiron and can be found at motg.net. I am continuing to earn a living from computer baseball simulations—a job that has required me to spend about three months in South Korea over the last two years. I still can’t speak the language, but I do hook up with the local Ultimate (Frisbee) players whenever I’m there.”

Julie Francis writes: “I treated myself and my family to a month-long sabbatical in December. My husband, Fred Evenson, daughters Bella (11) and Simone (8) and I island-hopped from Langkawi, Malaysia, through Southern Thailand. The girls wanted to spend most of their time snorkeling, which was fine with us. While they didn’t discover a deep love for green curry, they did develop a deeper understanding of world religions and culture and developed a strong desire for more travel and adventure—mission accomplished! One of the highlights was following a sea snake through the Andaman Sea (not bad for a mom with a phobia) and camping in a floating tent cabin in a lake in the jungle, surrounded by calling gibbons. I found the month off (100 percent unplugged from e-mail!) completely rejuvenating on the work front. My consulting practice (BellaVia Research, user experience research), is thriving and I’m blessed with clients I love working with. I came home from the sabbatical determined to find more work-life balance, and am doing okay with that (I’d give myself a C, or maybe a B-). As part of my quest for more work-life balance, I’ve started start cycling again. In May I did the 50-mile ‘tour d’ cure’ bike ride for the American Diabetes Association through Napa. I’ve started training for the AIDS Lifecycle ride in June 2015, 545 miles from San Francisco to LA. Erin Kelly ’91 intends to fly out from NYC to ride and camp with me! (Yes, we’re beginning to beg for money—let us know if you want to support two awesome moms who cycle!) I saw Erinand Elizabeth Meister ’92 recently in NYC, where we walked the High Line, devoured soul food, and pondered how it’s possible that we’re in our mid-40s. I also visited Kristin Connor ’94 and her adorable almost-2-year-old Robin and husband Mark; Kristin is living in Madison, Wis., with a thriving acupuncture practice.”

Camille McGadney writes: “We will be moving to Waterville, Maine. Andy ’92 has accepted a position as vice president and secretary of the college at Colby College.”

Jason Rekate provides this update: “My family and I relocated in August from Shanghai to Hong Kong for my job with Citi. My wife, Anna, is teaching at Hong Kong International School where my daughters, Emma (12) and Lizzy (10), are students. We’ve been overseas since 2006 and this is our fourth move.”

Matthew Schneider married Jean Gilmore Devine in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 13, 2014. In attendance were alumni, including Jon Chesto, Sue Walker Chesto, Arthur Magni, Anne Noel Occhialino ’94, and Jessica Kirshner.

Lisa O’Donoghue-Lindy is writing a blog about inspirational women making career transitions, career2.oblog.net. Lisa would love to hear from Wes grads.

Thanks for sending this wonderful news, and please keep updating us on your careers, families, and post-Wes lives.

SUZANNA HENSHON | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

SARAH ESTOW | sarah_estow@hotmail.com