Tag: 1994

Hello from frigid Chicago! Just a couple of weeks ago, I ran into Edward Siskel, City of Chicago’s corporation counsel, at a Chicago law department panel presentation. Earlier in the fall, one of my cases brought me to D.C., where I met up with my dear friend, Peter Chandler, the chief of staff to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. It was so wonderful to see him and catch up—we picked up where we left off. Other than work, my daughters, Sarah and Norah, keep me busy. They turned 9 in March!

Chuck Berger writes that he is living in Kununurra, Western Australia, with his partner, Christy, and sons, Tom and Leo. He manages a legal services clinic covering the remote Kimberley region—an area roughly the size of Texas, with the population of Galveston. Reach out to him at: charles_d_berger@hotmail.com.

Jonathan Kirsch is spending one year in Cali, Colombia, with his family doing a sabbatical and teaching at a public medical school under a Fulbright grant. He invites us to check his blog at drkirschsabbatical.wordpress.com.

Tanya Bowers updated us by saying that she and her husband, Martin Valadez, traveled to Thailand to celebrate the nuptials of Richard Yu and Taymee Jirachotramee, with Tnyetta Holder Mitchell ’93 and Max Mitchell ’92.

Sid Espinosa writes, “Last August we had a wonderful Wesleyan reunion at the nuptials of Jeff Reilly and Chris Schmicker. The spectacular Hawaiian setting, beautiful ceremony, and fun celebrating were enjoyed by me, John Dudzinsky ’96, Josh Lockwood ’93, Sarah Morgan, and David Niles.”

Greg Schwartz is a gastroenterologist living and working at Mid-Valley Gastroenterology in beautiful Corvallis, Ore. He is married and has three children (12, 10, and 7). Greg wants “any Wes folks living in Oregon please give [him] a shout!”

Tonya Ward Singer continues to work for equity in K-12 public schools across the U.S. and Canada. Her new book EL Excellence Every Day: The Flip-to Guide for Differentiating Academic Literacy (Corwin, 2018) helps K-12 teachers be effective in linguistically diverse classrooms. Tonya is the mother of two boys, lives in Santa Rosa, Calif., and writes that “we are all very grateful our neighborhood survived the October 2017 wildfires that ravaged our region.”

Sasha Chanoff lives in Somerville Mass., with his wife, Marni, and two children, Hayden (9) and Lailah (7). He is in his 12th year of leading RefugePoint, the organization he founded to find solutions for the world’s most at-risk refugees. He co-authored a book recently, From Crisis to Calling: Finding Your Moral Center in the Toughest Decisions. Sasha writes that “among the great joys of my life are coaching my son’s soccer team and reading to my daughter.”

Kate Foster is a Presbyterian minister, but currently serving as the executive director of a service learning program in Baltimore, Md. She is married to Andrew Foster Connors (22 years and counting!) and their daughters are 13 and 16. They have started the college search with the older daughter—and yes, Wes is on the list! Kate says that she loved it when they visited this past fall.

Becky Hunt is an ob-gyn in Portland, Maine, at Maine Medical Center. Her son is in middle school and her husband, John (Bowdoin ’94), is writing a book about the Civil War. She’s learning roller derby with Sarah Mount ’20 and trying out for the Fresh Muscle program in June.

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

Hello from Chicago! In May, I (Samera) met John Lewis for lunch in Boston. It was great to catch up with him after many years. John’s year is already filling up with lots of Wesleyan connections, including dinner with Aaron Yeater. John writes, “Josh Protas, Gabe Meil, and Jonathan Bender are joining me at our family shack on a lake in New Hampshire (outhouse and all). The last time we were there was after Josh’s wedding in the late 1990s. Abby was game for including a reunion with her honeymoon. My wife, Suzanne, and I have three kids, ages 13, 11, and 5, and I’m currently footloose and fancy free after 17 years working for Jonathan Bush ’03 at athenahealth. I’m taking a break, planning to re-enter the workforce in the fall!”

In March, I met Sarah Burke in San Francisco, where we had a lovely dinner with our adorable girls (my twins, Sarah and Norah, and Sarah’s Lanikai) who finally were able to meet. That same trip, I met up with Ben Fineman, whom I hadn’t seen in years, for dinner.

In other SF news, Olivia Morgan and her husband, David Plouffe, moved there recently. David is at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and she is running a gender equity initiative at Common Sense Media. She writes, “Later this month we will release a report on how gender portrayals in movies and on TV impact kids’ development, along with comprehensive guidelines on how to evaluate media for gender equity.”

From Southern California, Stephanie Anagnoson is the conservation supervisor at Castaic Lake Water Agency and “survived the drought.”

Further west, Raya Salter left her lawyer gig at Natural Resources Defense Council and moved to Hawaii a year ago with her daughter to work on climate and energy justice issues as a lawyer and consultant. She also is working on media issues.

On the East Coast, Aaron Passell has been teaching urban studies at Barnard and Columbia for three years, commuting from Philadelphia. He sees Jesse Hendrich and Seth Lewis Levin in the city for drinks or food adventures. He also runs into Amy Fiske ’95 often in Philadelphia, who runs the after-school program where his younger son spends happy afternoons.

David Drogin was promoted to professor as he continues his second term as chairperson of the History of Art Department at the State University of New York, FIT. He recently published “Art and Patronage in Bologna’s Long Quattrocento” in A Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Bologna and “Dialogue of the Doges: Monumental Ducal Tombs in Renaissance Venice,” in The Tombs of the Doges of Venice. Next March, he will present a paper on Jacopo della Quercia in a session he organized, “The Problem of Style in 15th-Century Italian Art,” at the conference of the Renaissance Society of America.

Stephen Frail wrote from Needham, Mass., where he lives with his wife of 20 years and two boys, one completing ninth grade and one completing sixth grade. After spending over 20 years in educational publishing, he joined MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists.

He writes, “I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with several fellow alumni in recent months. Sid Espinosa was visiting Boston, and so Dan Lennon, Raman Prasad, and I met Sid for dinner to celebrate our frosh year at Foss 7.” Raman, Dan, and David Mulei have planned a road trip this fall to meet up with Aaron “Hash” Hoshide, who teaches economics at the University of Maine.

Dr. Tyrone Williams and I caught up over a Saturday brunch recently. We followed that with an evening out with Tyrone and his wife, and Jennifer Quest-Stern and Kevin Fairley, who are married to each other, have two kids of their own, and are both in the healthcare industry.

Several of us from the class of 1994 have also started a tradition of returning to Homecoming each fall. David Niles, Deirdre Kelly, Sarah Morgan, Jeff Reilly, Joe Pirret, and I all plan to attend Homecoming again this November.

Jonathan Kirsch is a Fulbright Scholar in Cali, Colombia, for a year with his wife (also a Fulbright Scholar) and three kids. He will be teaching at a medical school, his wife will study organic coffee, and his kids will attend a bilingual school.

David Campbell is vice president of integration management at Dell Technologies in Austin, Texas.

Matthew Fraser is a writer and one of two people running Salem House Press after teaching and studying languages since 1995, and working at the grammar, middle, and high school level. He writes, “My latest book, Critical Infrastructure for Children; the Astonishing Potential of New England Schools, features what I consider to be strong points of the Wesleyan Sustainability Action Plan. I also did a comparison of the Wesleyan plan with similar progressive efforts at other universities throughout New England. I enjoyed presenting my previous book, Ideas for America; Let the Sun In at Wesleyan’s Earth Month in 2015, and I am looking forward to presenting my newest book to some idealistic hearts and minds at Wes soon.”

Please continue to send in updates, and if anyone finds themselves in Chicago, please get in touch!

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

Hello from Chicago! I (Samera) am very excited to be our co-class secretary and am looking forward to keeping in touch with everyone.

Kate Gordon writes that after some years in Wisconsin and some more years in D.C., she is now based out in the Bay Area with her husband, Gino, and kids, Julia (fourth grade) and Jacob (kindergarten). She spent several years at a San Francisco-based think tank, doing climate and clean energy work, and is now working remotely for the Paulson Institute, where she runs the climate and sustainable urbanization team. She writes, “In general, I’m on planes too much and with my kids too seldom, but I’m doing interesting work and trying to make some kind of a difference in the world.”

Tomer Rothschild writes that he has been living in Beijing for the past nine years with his wife, Stacy Palestrant (Wellesley ’94), and they have three children, Shiraz (10), Meital (7), and Erez (4)—the latter two are proud to be Made in China. He and his wife work together as co-heads of Elite Scholars of China, helping China’s top Chinese high school students go to America’s top universities. Their work has been profiled by The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and others. Tomer’s work brings him to Wesleyan twice a year (at least). Tomer also writes, “This summer, I loved seeing classmates/housemates Josh Protas and John Lewis in Boston, which was, as always, lots of fun. I am active in Wes events in Beijing, and would love to see any classmates coming through Beijing!”

Chuck Berger is giving up his job as CEO of Outdoors Victoria in Melbourne to move with his partner, Christy, and their boys (Leo, 4 and Tom, 7) to the outback. By October they’ll be living in Kununurra, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. He writes, “Fun fact: The Kimberley is the size of California, with the population of Middletown, Conn. Also, there are crocodiles. Come visit! charles_d_berger@hotmail.com.”

Tanya Bowers writes, “To this urban studies major’s surprise, I love living in Eastern Washington’s Tri-Cities area, where the population is just over 250,000. Surprise, surprise, I’m on our city’s planning commission.” Tanya met up with Jiyoung Lim-Gilbreth and her daughter when she visited D.C. in August and back in May, she went to the bar mitzvah of Emily Rosen Levine’s son in Larchmont.

Ken Barnett continues in his role as Christophe on Amazon’s award-winning series Mozart in the Jungle. He performed opposite Rachel Weisz in David Hare’s Plenty at the Public Theatre. In the spring, he will be appearing at Playwrights’ Horizons in a new play, The Light Years, created by the Debate Society.

Marc Waxman just moved “back home” to Massachusetts with his wife and two boys after eight years in Denver. After 22 years in public education, Marc is now working as executive director of the Society for Organizational Learning North America. He also has become a Certified ChiRunning Instructor.

Olivia Morgan and her family moved to San Francisco from D.C. Her kids, Everett and Vivian, are in the sixth and second grades, and very focused on making their parents follow through on the promise of a new puppy once they’ve “settled in” to their new hometown. Olivia runs communications and strategic programs, including a gender initiative, at Common Sense Media. Earlier this month, a national youth poetry program she’s been working on with the First Lady, celebrated its fifth class of National Student Poets.

Adam Handler moved back to Atlanta from London. Adam was, and is, with InterContinental Hotels Group and spent two years at the group’s global headquarters. Sid Espinosa and David Niles each dropped in on Adam, wife Jen Weiss Handler (Swarthmore ’98), and 4-year-old daughter, Josie (now trying to hold onto her British accent).

Raeanne Roper Martine writes, “My husband, Gilbert, and I spent two weeks in Japan in August. We visited his late mother’s family on the island of Okinawa, which is an extraordinary place, and spent another week on the main islands of Japan, visiting Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. It was beautiful and fascinating, and we wished we could have stayed longer! If anyone needs tips, let me know (first tip: avoid Japan in August, when it’s blisteringly hot and most of the nation is traveling for the summer holidays). All is well in Austin. I have been employed as a legal editor by the State of Texas for four years this year and am preparing for the mayhem that the state’s biennial legislative session brings every odd-numbered January. Wish me luck!”

Maggie Nelson was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016. She is the author of nine books. Melissa Levy is teaching ESL at an elementary school in the South Bronx. Aaron Yeater was promoted to the role of managing principal at Analysis Group.

I caught up with Aaron in Chicago at a dinner he and his firm hosted in Chicago. I also met up with the Chicago Wesleyan Club for a summer picnic with Johanna Russ ’03, Rebecca Cohen ’03, Hayley Ess, and others. Last year, I met Sarah Burke for lunch in San Francisco. Adam Glickman came for a visit to Chicago last March and attended my girls’ 7th birthday party! Adam, John Pollock, Jude Tulli, Eric Grasinger, and I stay in touch and are planning a Commons Club reunion in December. I continue to practice law at Nixon Peabody and have two amazing daughters—twin girls, Sarah and Norah, who just started second grade.

Please write me your news and of course if you are in Chicago, call me!

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

Kate Gordon writes: “About a year ago I joined the team at the Paulson Institute, a think tank founded by former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, to lead their work on climate and sustainable urbanization in the U.S. and China. In this role I’m still heavily involved in the Risky Business Project on climate risk that I helped to start in 2014; I’m also working with a team on the ground in Beijing to figure out how to translate high-level government goals on air quality and climate into real, concrete action on the ground. Unfortunately, all this work in China means I’m traveling a lot, which isn’t great for my kids (Julia is 9, Jacob is 5). Let’s hope Sheryl Sandberg is right and they respect me at the end of the day for working hard at something important!”

Dan Schwartz writes: “Just returned from Ecuador, where I had the honor to be the team physician with Team Rubicon as a part of a rapid-deployment disaster medical assistance team after a magnitude 7.8 Earthquake hit the area. Team Rubicon provided rescue, medical and reconnaissance aid to remote villages that could not be reached by the local government or NGOs. One of our mottos is “we go where the others can’t or won’t.” (See Classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu and click on “Class of 1994” to see the photos.)

John Pollock writes: “I’m pleased to announce the birth of Merritt Winton Pollock on July 21, 2015. Although he didn’t really take to the strange ritual we call ‘sleeping’ until he was about 7 months old, we absolutely adore the little guy. Merritt is an Alabama baby: I just marked my 10th year of residency in the state after initially coming in 2006 for a temporary nine-month job (I didn’t anticipate either the job continuing or meeting my amazing wife, Katie). While on recent work trips, I got to hang out with Anjali Waikar ’99 (Chicago) and Richard Silverman ’88 (New York); I loved these visits both for the reconnect as well as the chance to spend time in a state that isn’t … Alabama. Finally, my fantasy baseball league started at Wesleyan 26 years ago(!) is still going strong, with other team owners including Rob Harper-Mangels ’92, Steve Karon ’92, Rich Dansky ’92, and Aaron Siskind ’93.

Ed. note: We thank Ilana Newell and Jiyoung Gilbreth for their exceptional work as co-secretaries for the Class of 1994. We are delighted to announce that Samera Syeda Ludwig and Caissa Powell have agreed to take on the role as co-secretaries and we welcome them warmly. You’ll hear from them soon, when they request updates for the issue of Wesleyan that you’ll see in early December. Please welcome them and write to them at:

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com

We mourn the loss of our classmate, Sachiko Suzanne Isobe Mallach. Sachi’s husband, Daniel, wrote that she passed away peacefully surrounded by friends and family on July 1, 2015, after a courageous five-year battle with cancer. Sachi was a resident of West Goshen Township, Pa., and served as a fundraiser and development officer for several nonprofit organizations. Dan wrote that Sachi loved listening to all types of music, playing the piano and violin, hiking and camping, gardening, laughing, and being with her family. She is also survived by her daughter, Katy, her brother and parents. Please find her obituary: articles.philly.com/2015-07-29/news/64962258_1_new-york-city-fundraising-development. If you would like to send Sachi’s family a note of condolence, Marcy Herlihy, our stewardship person in University Relations (mherlihy@wesleyan.edu), has offered to pass along the messages.

Andrew Oppenheimer has returned from the Netherlands, where he spent three years as a lecturer in European studies at Maastricht University. He has since left academia to pursue an MBA. He and his wife, Jamie, are expecting their first child.

Jessica Sharzer writes, “My first studio movie, Nerve, wrapped production in June and will be in theaters in early 2016. I’m under contract at 20th Century Fox on a TV show based on Urban Cowboy, and adapting a YA novel called The Young Elites for the big screen. I have two great kids—Dante, 8, and Sasha, 5—and I’m about to get remarried to a guy with two kids—mini Brady Bunch.”

Oneka LaBennett is entering her third year as associate professor of Africana Studies at Cornell University. She was recently invited to deliver the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Public Affairs Lecture for Syracuse University’s African American Studies Department. She also routinely writes op-eds for the Ms. Magazine Blog and for The Huffington Post. Oneka makes regular visits to New York City to see friends from Wes, and for research and teaching projects. With her husband, Shawn McDaniel, and their dog, Bagel, Oneka is enjoying her new home in Ithaca. She also loved attending the special Wes alumni performance of Hamilton.

Jesse Hendrich writes, “I am still in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, with a psychotherapy practice and a happy family that includes my beautiful wife, Elizabeth Solomon, and our two kids. Our kids attend school with the son of Mark Ladov, whom I see regularly. We recently had dinner with Aaron Passell, who lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two kids and commutes to New York to teach urban studies at Barnard. I am also in touch with Scott Rosenberg, who is putting out a new album this fall, and Nicole Davis, who is also a psychotherapist here in New York City, living in Brooklyn with her partner and three kids. Lastly, I am also in touch with Jonah Ross, who still lives in Portland but we talk on a monthly basis via Skype.”

Kika Stump writes, “I recently earned my PhD in public policy and am still working in Maine as an education policy researcher. While thrilled to be back in the classroom again, teaching at Bowdoin College, I promise I am not cheering for their field hockey team! I had a recent visit at Wesleyan to give a talk on education reform at the Patricelli Center and see the great work being done there by Makaela Kingsley ’98. Topped off by a fantastic dinner at Wes Wings with Ed Thorndike ’89.”

Ken Barnett is happy to be back in NYC full-time after several years in Los Angeles. He recently filmed recurring roles on Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick and Amazon’s Mozart In The Jungle, and he is currently working at Fun Home on Broadway.

Aram Sinnreich recently relocated to Silver Spring, Md., with his family, to begin a new position as associate professor at American University’s School of Communication.

Raya Salter writes, “Pleased to report that I have just been elected VP of the Wesleyan Lawyers Alumni Association and I look forward to serving this Wes community. I also left my gig working for others (I’m an energy and environmental lawyer) to strike out on my own—Imagine Power LLC, where I focus on climate and energy justice issues and clean and renewable power development (including advisory services in New York, Hawaii, and the South Pacific). So I am transitioning from being New York-based to being Hawaii-based.”

John Pollock writes, “I’m pleased to share the birth announcement for my first child, Merritt Winton Pollock. He arrived a month early but still managed to clock in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and 20 inches long, and he figured out how to sleep more than the occasional nap just in time to help us retain our sanity. Although an Alabama baby, Merritt got to meet Katrina Buchau and Leah Bartell ’95 via Skype, and has enjoyed presents from numerous Wes folks that range from clothes to books to personalized blocks and towels. I’ve told him many times how lucky he is to be joining the Wesleyan family.”

Matt Solomon lives in D.C., with his wife and two kids, and he is the chief litigation counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Matt reports that he regrettably missed his 20th Reunion last year (and got dinged by Sid Espinosa for doing so), but did make it to campus last summer on his way back from a Maine vacation. He remarked that while there have been numerous campus improvements, the Foss dorms are as shabby as ever!

Charlotte Castillo continues to travel the world for Viacom International Media Networks—including stops in Milan, Mexico City, London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and other places this year. In addition, she was recently promoted to SVP of international brand management and creative at Viacom International Media Networks. She was also among 34 participants chosen to participate in Viacom’s Inspirational Leaders Program, along with Nadja Webb ’90.

Kate Gordon writes: “After stints working at the Center for American Progress and at Next Generation (Tom Steyer’s SF-based think tank), I’m now working on climate and energy issues in the U.S. and China at the Paulson Institute, a think tank founded by former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. It’s based in Chicago and most of our work is in Beijing, but I’m able to do my job from my home in Berkeley, which is good for my two kids (Julia, 8, and Jacob, 4)—at least when I’m not traveling!”

David Niles writes: “My wife and I just had the pleasure of attending a traditional Chinese banquet in Flushing, Queens, to celebrate Joe Pirret’s recent marriage. In attendance were Eliza Comer, Adji Gadson, François Nguyen, and Sondy Youdelman. The robust, 10-course feast was followed by midnight karaoke in New York’s Koreatown where the varied playlist ran the gamut from the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” to Extreme’s “More than Words” to Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” Unfortunately, “Closer to Fine” was not in the system, so Eliza and Sondy didn’t have a chance to reprise their classic duet. Maybe at the next wedding?! See the photo at: classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu/class-of-1994

Jiyoung Lim Gilbreth writes, “My family and I moved to the DC area. For those living or working in and around DC, please reach out and so that we can all get together for a ’94 lunch or drinks.”

Thank you to all who wrote in with updates. Please send us your class notes for the next issue. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jiyoung Lim Gilbreth and Ilana wind newell

94notes@gmail.com

Thanks to those of you for writing in with news to share. We hope to hear from many more of you for future issues. Please be in touch.

Keri Cascio writes, “I moved to Chicago in January to take a job as the executive director of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. I’m proud to be working for the ‘library mothership,’ and I’m enjoying everything Chicago has to offer.”

Aram Sinnreich writes, “I’ll be moving to Washington, D.C., this summer to start a new job as an associate professor with tenure at American University’s School of Communication.”

Tonya Ward Singer writes from Santa Rosa, Calif., “I’m having a great time raising my boys (7 and 10), and running a business that helps K–12 schools innovate for equity. My book, Opening Doors to Equity, was published this year (and is a Corwin Press bestseller).”

Brenda Frink is living in Portland, Ore., She is working as coordinating editor of Pacific Historical Review.

Raya Salter Moore writes, “I’m a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council focusing on electricity policy. My daughter is 14 and in high school. Still living in New Rochelle, N.Y. Saw Hayley Buchbinder and her family (adorable two young sons and hubby) this past summer.”

Jon Morgan says, “I’m in Dallas (my hometown) and run a corporate public relations firm, Perry Street Communications. My wife, Liz Seabury ’95, is assistant general counsel at a restaurant company, Le Duff America. We have two boys: Henry, 10, and Oliver, 7.”

Jennifer Cunningham says, “Hello, all. I’ve never written an update before so I will keep the last 20 years brief. Moved to Denver, moved to London, left the glamorous world of telecom, and now live in Boulder County with my husband and two kids. I recently started Ask Why Films to lend a voice to social issues. Our first documentary is Disruptive Ed—a film to inspire audiences to reimagine education in their local schools and effect the necessary changes.”

Charlotte Castillo writes, “Greetings from NYC…I am working hard being a mom to my 5-year-old ‘lil man’ and as VP of international brand management for Viacom Media Networks—driving brand strategy and creative for our consumer products business around the world! It’s a fun job that takes me around the world—London, Singapore, Milan, Paris, Panama City, São Paolo, among others, including (hopefully) Sydney next spring. And one thing all these cities have in common—Wesleyan! I’ve seen Wesleyan tees, bumper stickers, and more in almost all of these cities! That is truly why! I’m in touch with the fabulous Patria Rodriguez ’93, Cynthia Centeno ’93, and Lisette Nieves ’92—all doing their thing in media, education, and nonprofit worlds, respectively.”

Tanya Bowers and her husband, Martin Valadez Torres, welcomed their son, George Israel Valadez, on Oct. 15th. Tanya moved to Washington State’s Tri-Cities from Washington, D.C., in the late summer 2014. She welcomes contact from Wes alums who find themselves in eastern Washington State. Tanya says, “I am on the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Council and interested alums should reach out to me if they want to get involved.”

Cris Ruggiero writes, “I have been living and working in Pittsburgh, for the last six years at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m an associate dean in the School of Arts and Sciences, and I oversee the College of General Studies. The College serves about 2500 students, through degree, non-degree, and certificate programs as well as housing the Osher lifelong learning program and the University’s Office of Veteran Services. I enjoy the diversity of our student population and the programs we provide. I live in the city with my husband, who is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Pitt, and our 5-year-old daughter, who is in kindergarten. I’ve also been volunteering for the past five years with a mentoring program called Strong Women Strong Girls, and I still do Wesleyan alumni interviews. In terms of Wes people in Pittsburgh, we see Brant Hasler often; he is an assistant professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at Pitt. Otherwise, I saw Julie Beattie Reeves and Jon Bender during a quick conference trip to Denver. Both are doing well, and Julie and I compared job notes as she is now working in higher ed as an associate vice chancellor of brand marketing for the University of Denver.”

Thank you to all who wrote in with updates. Please keep sending us your news.

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

David Nesbett opened his own law firm, Nesbett & Nesbett, P.C., after many years working as a prosecutor and in another firm as an associate. He says, “We’ve been in business almost four years now, practicing small business civil law and criminal defense.”

Julian Bobb also made a career change. He says, “In February I left Jennison Associates, an investment advisory affiliate of Prudential. I decided to put my law degree on the shelf for a little bit to try my hand at real estate investing in NYC. It’s a slow go so far but I am going to stick with it. I am still pretty active with my fraternity, currently in my second term as the President of the New York Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. I am also class president and preparing for my 25th reunion at Phillips Exeter Academy this May. I hope to see Astrid Wilkie-McKellar, Coco Kikoski, Lorenzo Childress, Francois Nguyen, Jay Johnson ’89, Greg Sawyer ’95, and Jeff Wilner at Exeter for the reunion. I stay in touch with Astrid, who is living in Georgia now, Danny Santiago, who lives in Tennessee, and Nelson Rodriguez, who lives in Puerto Rico, not to mention my Kappa Brothers, Andy McGadney ’92 and Mike Harris. I regret not being able to make the Reunion this year, as it landed on the weekend of my wife Vanessa’s 40th birthday, and she did not want to spend it at Wesleyan. We also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past May. I had the opportunity to give a talk on Wesleyan’s campus last November; it is a very different place. I can’t believe that Mocon is gone, and in fact it doesn’t look like it was ever there.”

Tonya Ward Singer says, “My book will be published in November! I wrote a book for K-12 learning leaders to facilitate dynamic collaboration among teachers to elevate the achievement of diverse learners in schools. It’s called Opening Doors to Equity: A Practical Guide to Leading Observation-Based Professional Learning (November 2014, Corwin Press and Learning Forward).”

While we’re celebrating book publications, Maggie Nelson will publish her ninth book this spring, a work of “autotheory” titled The Argonauts (May 2015, Graywolf Press). The project was supported by a Creative Capital Innovative Literature Fellowship. Maggie lives in Los Angeles and teaches in the School of Critical Studies at CalArts.

Tania Llambelis is teaching kindergarten in Oakland, Calif. She says she “continues to utilize skills she acquired as a dance major at Wesleyan when she does her morning routine with her 24 students, which includes mindful breathing techniques, yoga, and dancing.” Tania also reports that she and Darcie Luce ’93 “founded the Oakland Improv Collective in 2007, and the company continues to bring performance to the people of Northern California. The company participated in a unique event called the Art in Nature Festival at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, Calif. In addition, we are gearing up for performances for the Day of the Dead.”

Also busy performing is Ken Barnett. He says, “I’m currently performing in a world premiere of a musical adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel, Fortress of Solitude, at the Public Theater in New York.”

Robin Shane reports on more Wesleyan theater connections. “I am now living in Philadelphia with my husband, Jonathan, and two daughters Cecily (11) and Miranda (7). I have been named as resident costume designer at EgoPo theater in Philadelphia and at the Passage Theater in Trenton, N.J., and continue to be on staff at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., where I design all six productions in the Fine Arts Department.” Robin’s daughters attend the Abington Friends School, “where their Spanish teacher is none other than Catalina Rios ’84.” Robin’s husband, Jonathan, just received tenure and promotion at Arcadia University in the theater department, where his colleague is the illustrious Mark Wade ’83, who was the director of Robinand Mark Gordon’s senior project! Small world indeed!!

Jessica Sharzer says, “I live in LA with my two kids, Sasha (4) and Dante (7). I’m a writer/producer on the cable series American Horror Story, and I wrote a teen thriller called Nerve for Lionsgate that shoots in early 2015.”

Sasha Chanoff says, “I’m living in Somerville with my wife and two children, Lailah (4) and Hayden (6). I’m going into my 10th year of running RefugePoint, an organization that finds lasting solutions for refugees in life-threatening situations. I served as a consultant for the new Warner Bros. film The Good Lie, starring Reese Witherspoon inspired by the true story of the refugees known as the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan. I have also worked with the producers to create The Good Lie Fund to support south Sudanese refugee children in crisis. All is wonderfully well.”

Elizabeth Rand Ehrlich says, “I am still in Hartford, Conn., busy with my four kids! My business, Kids Kippot, has taken off this fall and I am filling orders for custom kippot (yarmulkes) as fast as I can make them. I am enjoying using Etsy as a platform to showcase my wares and love the flexibility of working for myself. My website is kidskippot.com if you’d like to see what I make.”

Raeanne Roper Martinez is still in Austin along with Ken and Laura Cho ’93 and Jessica ’93 and Paul D’Arcy ’93, “but I have left the newspaper biz and now work as a legal editor for a nonpartisan state agency, the Texas Legislative Council. We are gearing up for the next session of the legislature, which always brings long hours and some strange happenings, so wish me luck. Otherwise my husband and I travel a bit, spend time with our nephews and other family, ride our bikes, and cheer on the Houston Astros, in person whenever possible.”

Please keep sending us your news.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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