Tag: 1994

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

Danielle Pelletier Fiery: “I am still teaching math at my old high school, Pinkerton Academy, in Derry, N.H. I finally started a master’s program, at Plymouth State University, in neurodevelopmental teaching. I love it! I was back in Middletown several times last summer, taking a GLSP class in adolescent psychology. It didn’t take many trips for me to realize that it’s just too far away (three hours each trip) to take more graduate classes there.”

John Pollock writes, “I got married to Katie Rose in November in Alabama, where I’ve lived for the past seven years. I’m now the coordinator of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, which I do through my staff attorney position at the Public Justice Center. In 1991, a group of Wesleyan students with a love of baseball gathered in a Lo-Rise unit to create the Jim Vatcher Fantasy Baseball Memorial League. In 2013, we had our 23rd fantasy baseball draft (23. Just let that sink in), and amazingly, we’re still going with a lot of the original or near-original members: Rob Harper-Mangels ’92, Rich Dansky ’92, Steve Karon ’92, Aaron Siskind ’93, and Chris Joyal ’95. My former Wesleyan roommate, Elizabeth Ehrlich, continues to crank out amazing recipes on her blog, feedemright.tumblr.com.”

Larry Sidney: “This past summer I moved out to Lake Tahoe to work with the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition. We are working on bringing a future Winter Olympic Games to the region. I also just started an executive MBA program at UC, Berkeley.”

Tania Lisa Llambelis has been on sabbatical from her full-time teaching job with Oakland Unified School District in California. While she has been away from the classroom, Ms. Llambelis has traveled solo to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Tania writes, “Patty Pion spent spring break with me in Rio de Janeiro; together we explored beaches, museums, and restaurants!”

Aram Sinnreich’s book, The Piracy Crusade: How the Music Industry’s War on Sharing Destroys Markets and Erodes Civil Liberties, was just released.

Jesse Hendrich writes, “I have left Bellevue inpatient psych and expanded my psychotherapy practice, which is growing steadily and feels great. As for Wes relations, I see Mark Ladov and Nicole Davis, since they both live in my neighborhood and our kids play together.”

Jeffrey Kwan: “I’m living in the S.F. Bay Area, in the town of Atherton, and working as a gastroenterologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. My three boys (ages 7, 4, and 1) keep me and my wife super busy and active.”

Maggie Nelson just finished a year as the Moseley Fellow in Creative Writing at Pomona. She also received a 2013 Innovative Literature Award from Creative Capital for her book in progress; her most recent book, The Art of Cruelty, went into paperback in 2012 and was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times. She lives in LA, where she has taught writing, art, literature, and theory at CalArts since 2005.

Sigrid Schmalzer writes, “Ferdinand’s baby brother, Winston Anarres Close, was born safely at home on May 28, 2013. The first and last parts of his name come from his dad, Winston William Close, and Anarres honors the anarchist-utopian society in Ursula Le Guin’s novel, The Dispossessed.”

Max Belkin shares this update: “I continue to practice psychotherapy in Manhattan and teach graduate courses at NYU. I recently completed psychoanalytic training at the William Alanson White Institute. Please check out my recent post for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action/Psychology Today: tinyurl.com/a2okq8y.”

Dan Brown writes, “My second book, Designing Together, was published in June 2013. The book expands on a game I created to help designers practice dealing with conflict. My Web design company is in its seventh year, and serves clients such as Marriott International, Yahoo!, and Cisco, among others. I’ve been lunching occasionally with David Belman ’90, who also owns a design firm in the D.C. area. Sarah and I have two kids: Harry, 8, and Everett, 2.”

Karen Gaffney writes, “I am an associate professor of English at Raritan Valley Community College in central New Jersey, where I currently serve as chair of the English Department. I teach composition, race and pop culture, and gender studies. Wesleyan sparked my interest in social justice, and I’ve been continuing that work ever since, both at the college and in the community. I’m also writing a book about how the stereotypes of ‘rednecks,’ ‘Asian overachievers,’ and ‘illegals’ serve the status quo by dividing and conquering us. I’m looking forward to next year’s Reunion!”

Aaron Passell: “My wife and I now have two boys, 8-1/2, and 8 months. We’ve been living in Philadelphia for the last few years and have been visited here by Seth Levin, Jesse Hendrich, and Scott Rosenberg. I’m teaching sociology at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. (and yes the geography is complicated). The chance to teach at a small, liberal arts college brings home exactly how much I got out of my time at Wes.”

David Drogin is an associate professor and chairperson of the History of Art Department at the State University of New York, F.I.T. He recently contributed a chapter, “The Bentivoglio: Art, Patronage, and Emulation in Fifteenth-Century Bologna” to the volume Bologna: Cultural Crossroads from the Medieval to the Baroque. His continuing work in Italian Renaissance art includes the forthcoming publications: Dialogue of the Doges: Monumental Ducal Tombs in Renaissance Venice, and The Mirror’s Illicit Secret.

Tracy Ferguson Pepperman: “Mike and I just welcomed our fourth boy, Gavin, who joins brothers Michael, Zachary, and Luke. The house is now full, fun, and chaotic! I’m still toiling away as a federal attorney, currently tasked with trying to save the U.S. Postal Service. I have bumped into Wes alumna and former U.S. Attorney’s Office colleague June Jeffries ’75, live around the corner from William ’91 and Katherine Wingfield Barry ’91, had play dates with Alison Bidwell Pearce, and spend a lot of time hanging out with my favorite Wes roommate, Wendy Weber, who is a doctor at the National Institutes of Health. Can’t wait for Reunion!”

Please mark your calendar for our Reunion and Commencement Weekend: May 22–25, 2014.

Jiyoung Lim Gilbreth and Ilana Wind Newell
94notes@gmail.com