Tag: 1998

Hi, all. This time around I have a few updates to share as well. My husband and I opened our second café (Petite MarieBette) this winter. Hopefully by the time this is published, my stress levels and social life will be back to normal. I have also been elected board president of Meals on Wheels Charlottesville/Albemarle—an organization that I have been deeply involved with for the past three years.

Adam Borden was elected to the board of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, an Inner Harbor icon and leading aquatic conservation organization. After almost three years marketing McCormick spices, he is now looking for his next adventure. His family finally got the chance to go on their long-dreamed safari in December, seeing leopards and lions, as well as Nelson Mandela’s former Soweto home and Robben Island prison cell.

Anthony Veneziale got to speak at the Kennedy Center around his work on neuroscience and improv’s effects on the brain, plus do a freestyle rap. And Freestyle Love Supreme (with Thomas Kail ’99, Bill Sherman ’02, and Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02) has a sold-out run off-Broadway.

Rob Finn married Dan Shaver, in D.C. last year, and they celebrated with Allison Radecki, Neal Wilkinson, Steve Engel, and Becca Gerner. Sarah Maine ’99, was Rob’s “Best Maine.” Since moving to D.C. in 2014, Rob has worked in housing policy with the National Community Stabilization Trust and is leading the Legislative Affairs division of D.C.’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

Lia Salza has been running Little Loft, the children’s art studio she founded in DC for the last six years, and raising three intense children. She sees Laura Polania and Rebecca Preiser, and stays in touch with Sarah Margon, Eliza Hersh, and Shai Rao. She met up with Justin Moyer and Harrison Owen last summer. She’s leaving behind her beloved Takoma Park neighborhood for a family move to Dallas in June. If you have any contacts there, she’d appreciate it because she currently knows zero people there, but she’s excited to be part of the blue wave in Texas.

Juniper Hill and husband Jesse started new jobs at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in Germany. He teaches in the Mathematics Institute and she heads the ethnomusicology program. “I am introducing several curricular innovations (which are more in line with Wesleyan pedagogy then with conventional German musicological approaches).” They are busy learning German and adjusting to Franconian/Bavarian culture and enjoy having two academic positions in the same place. She is active in the Sacred Harp shaped note community and started a shape note singing class in Würzburg. Her new book, Becoming Creative: Insights from Musicians in a Diverse World, was published by Oxford University press. If there are any other Wes folk in the Franconian region, they would love to hear from you.

Adam Hinds was sworn in to his second term as a state senator in Massachusetts.

Matt Stromberg has been living in Los Angeles for the past seven years with his wife, Jessica, and their two dogs. Since receiving his master’s from USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism in 2014, he has been working as a freelance arts and culture writer, contributing to a wide range of publications including the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Hyperallergic, the Art Newspaper, and several others.

Bishara Wilson completed his doctorate in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. He owns the Brooklyn-based New York Sports Acupuncture where he’s celebrating 16 years in private practice.

Dr. Nadine Forrester Mills earned her doctorate in education (curriculum, instruction, and assessment) from Walden University and would like to thank her loving husband, Gregory Mills; children Jevon Smith, A’ngelique Mills, Ashley Mills, and Anisha Johnson; parents Heroline and Arthur Standberry, grandmother Alberta Blake, and close friends for all their love and support throughout this accomplishment.

Abby Elbow is living her dream life in Anchorage, Alaska, after 15 years of talking about it. She spends four days a week working as a nurse, seeing moms and babies in their homes, and the other three romping in the greatest of great outdoors: hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, playing Ultimate, and just recently, curling! And with her brother and a whole host of family via his marriage here, she gets tons of niece time and chaotic dinner gatherings. She says you’re all invited to come visit. Abby has also agreed to help me with our class notes, for which I am very grateful.

Jason Becton | jason@mariebette.com

Hi, fellow ’98ers. I missed you all at Reunion but from all accounts it seems like it was quite a good time. The following are the notes from our class.

Anya Fernald was included in Inc.’s “The Female Founders 100”—women entrepreneurs that Inc. has been most intrigued by in the past year, whose smarts are rattling industries far and wide. Within this group Anya was named one of the “17 Female Founders Built Brands That Started Movements.”

Anya is co-founder and CEO of Belcampo Meat Co. which started as a vertically integrated, certified organic, and animal welfare-approved farm and butchery in Northern California. Belcampo now runs seven restaurants, a burgeoning e-commerce site, and wholesale businesses, along with a hospitality arm that includes meat camps, where wellness-minded participants learn to butcher and cook meat. Anya is working on expansions that will include a box-subscription service for meat, bone broth, and jerky and a new restaurant and butcher shop that will open soon in NYC.

Joshua Stedman writes: “My band, Brothers of Others, had an exciting time over the Wesleyan Reunion and Commencement weekend. First, we were honored to play at our class’s 20th. The next day we performed with The Voice’s brand new champion, Brynn Cartelli. And the following day we sang the National Anthem a cappella in front of 40,000 at Fenway Park on Memorial Day Weekend.”

Nathan Eddy passed his viva for a PhD in Hebrew Bible. He still uses the Bible he bought for Religion 201 with Jeremy Zwelling, complete with Hebrew words he wrote down from that class.

Lynn Chen is directing her first feature film, I Will Make You Mine, which she also wrote, is producing, and starring in. She’s cast John Newman in it too. You can find out more at IWillMakeYouMine.com.

Amy Barnes writes: “My big news in 2018 is that I launched my own investment advisory and financial planning firm, Firebrand Wealth Management, with a focus on planning for women. I also had my second child, a baby boy, born in May. I am living in Seattle with my partner.”

Peter Isbister lives in Decatur, Ga., with his wife, Robyn, and their three kids, Mira, Ezra, and Lucia. Occasionally he sees Rachel Wellborn, who lives in Atlanta. Peter is enjoying his new job at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where he works in the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative. This past summer Peter worked with summer intern Agnes Baik ’09.

After over a decade of handling class notes, Marcus Chung has retired. I want to thank Marcus for taking this on for all of these years and for his dedication to the university and our class. We are looking for new people to help take on our class notes. If you have the time and interest, please contact me.

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Anthony Veneziale’s new series, Bartlett, premiered on Amazon. Bill Sherman ’02 was music supervisor and Evan Shapiro P’17 was executive producer. Anthony was in another series called The Mortified Guide where he played an adult version of Harry Potter in a gay erotica fan-fiction piece. He had a mini-reunion with Tommy Kail ’99, Sara Miller ’02, Alex Horwitz ’02, and Suzanne Appel ’02 at Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02’s birthday party in NYC.

Amanda Palmer lives in Woodstock, N.Y, but is constantly traveling the world and trying to figure out where to settle. She has a 2-year-old named Anthony.

Anne Thomas and her husband, Andy, attended the marriage of Shelby Tillett ’98 and Matteo Gallo on June 24. In attendance were Kate Berry Grant, Abe Forman-Greenwald, Christine Treveloni Reidenbach, Ryan Chamberlain ’00, Matt Feeney ’99, Jake Fay ’00, Matt Perceval ’00, and Heather Cohen Perceval ’02. She makes summer visits to Middletown to show her children Lucy (9) and Drew (7) their future alma mater. She often sees Makaela Steinberg and Matt Kingsley ’98, and their children Amelia and Eli. Anne is serving on our 20th Reunion committee and looks forward to connecting with many of you in May!

Claire Skorski Garland lives in her hometown, Golden, Colo., with her husband and two boys. She is a psychotherapist working in crisis assessment and counseling.

Laura Ayala is president of the board for Upward Scholars. The Upward Scholars mission is to empower low-income adults, mostly immigrants, by providing them financial, academic, and community support so they can continue their education, get better jobs, and serve as role models for their community.

Sara Brenneis and her husband, Eric, welcomed their second child, Malcolm, on Thanksgiving Day. Her book on Spaniards in the Mauthausen concentration camp comes out in April with The University of Toronto Press. She’s an associate professor of Spanish at Amherst College and will be in Madrid on sabbatical during the 2019-20 academic year. If any Wes alumni are living in Spain, she’d enjoy being in touch.

Amanda Green Marini lives in Oakland, Calif., with her husband, Paul, and their two kids. She teaches English and film at Berkeley with Matt Albinson ’97 and John Becker ’03. She tested for her third-degree black belt in jujitsu. She often sees Mike Della Penna and Summer Halas.

Jessica Cortes is a partner at Davis & Gilbert in NYC. She hosted a Wesleyan Lawyer’s Association networking event in March. She lives with her husband, Lee, and their children in Westfield, N.J. She was proud to co-organize the Second Annual Westfield Women’s March in January, where there were close to 2,000 attendees and speakers including public officials, candidates, members of women’s organizations, and several young children, including her two daughters. She caught up with Daisy Voorhees Bokus and Heather Cunningham Ostrowski.

This year Marianne Benet’s son, Henry, who is 8 years and was born with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome, walked 22 consecutive steps independently for the first time! Marianne and her family didn’t know if they would ever see him walk. She and husband Ben have two other sons, Zac (10) and Billy (5). Marianne has put her career in microfinance on hold to be a full-time mom and to help Henry reach his full potential. She keeps in touch with Miki Kawashima, Jeff Matrician, Heather Marciniec, Erin (Fieler) Collins, Andrew Hall, and Isabel Vega.

Keisha Robinson is married with two boys. She acquired her master’s in chemistry from NYU Polytechnic Institute and works as a clinical quality assurance manager dealing with radiopharmaceutical oncology or cancer drug treatments for advanced accelerator applications.

Joshua Stedman’s band, Brothers of Others, released an EP in June (brothersofothers.com).

Adam Abel and his partners founded the nonprofit SkateQilya, which uses skateboarding and art to teach community building and leadership skills to girls and boys in Palestine. It was featured on NBC, CNN, and the cover of Haaretz. Viceland will be airing an episode about it.

Steve Engel was promoted to a full professor in the Bates College department of politics, which he chairs. He got to see Adrienne Lucas who came up from the University of Delaware, where she is a professor, to give a talk to the department.

Markell Parker is executive director of Summer on the Hill, a nonprofit academic enrichment program for low-income public school students in the Bronx, Harlem, and Washington Heights. Markell resides in his hometown of the Bronx where he is raising his 7-year-old son, Malcolm.

We would also like to issue a correction. The notice of the passing of our classmate Marc James Augustine was included in the notes for the class of ’99 instead of being included in our class of which he was a part. It was brought to our attention by his brother who wanted to make sure that his fellow classmates were made aware. Marc passed away suddenly on Oct. 26, 2014, at his home in Durham, N.C. Marc leaves behind his wife Cynthia (Bland) Augustine, brothers Mikael James Augustine and Gerald Darin Augustine, two aunts, and several cousins.

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Did anyone else catch our friend Kate Wetherhead’s opening skit on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in September? Drawing upon her Wesleyan English degree, she read a book on air. The book, The Emperor’s New Wall, served as witty commentary on President Trump’s promise to build a see-through wall at the Mexican border. I loved seeing our classmate on my television!

Also on television in September, Adam Abel’s organization, SkateQuilya was featured on NBC news. The organization is a youth empowerment program that uses skateboarding as a tool to teach art, community building, and leadership skills to Palestinian girls and boys in the West Bank.

In June, Joshua Stedman’s band, Brothers of Others (brothersofothers.com) released a new album, Space. Based in Miami, the band is described as “a trio of multi-instrumental artists…deeply influenced by the pioneers of blues, soul and rock.”

Lisa Ko’s debut novel, The Leavers, was longlisted for the National Book Award for fiction. The Leavers is the story of an 11-year-old whose mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, fails to return home one day from her job at a nail salon in Brooklyn—leaving the boy alone to navigate a new life as the adopted son of a well-meaning American couple in upstate New York.

I love to hear when my Wes friends are connecting with each other and making new memories together. Abby Posner shared with me that she, her husband Alan Rosen ’97, and their daughters spent time hiking in the White Mountains with Jill Kantrowitz Kunkel, her husband Greg ’95, and their sons over Labor Day weekend. As the families summited Mount Lafayette, they naturally trekked while singing “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton, making it a Wes outing through and through!

I don’t know about you, but I’m astonished that we will celebrate our 20th Reunion in May. I’m already looking forward to seeing all of you back on campus!

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Hi, fellow ’98ers. Though 2017 has been overwhelmingly eventful so far, visits from friends help to slow it down a bit. Keeping with my theory that Charlottesville, Va., is the Wesleyan crossroads of America, we got a visit from Emily Lieberman, Jules Cohen, and their three wonderful daughters Lucy, Lola, and Eliza. They stopped to see us on their way from the Shenandoah to the D.C. area to visit Jules’ parents. Our daughters got an opportunity to get to know one another and hang out outside to enjoy the beautiful Virginia spring weather.

In other updates…Kubi Ackerman is director of the Future City Lab, a cutting-edge interactive space at the Museum of the City of New York exploring the key challenges and opportunities that New York will face in coming generations. Kubi invites all Wes students and alumni in New York to come visit the lab.

Abby Elbow writes: “After 15 years of talking about it, I’ve finally taken the plunge and moved to Alaska. I’m very happily living near my brother and nieces and other family, am surrounded by beautiful mountains and water and, at this time of year, 19 hours of sunlight!  I also made a career change a few years ago and became a nurse, and am now working with Alaska Native moms and babies to improve long-term maternal and infant health and social outcomes.”

Adam Borden writes: “I left The Hershey Company about 18 months ago after launching Kisses Deluxe—Hershey’s trade-up to premium chocolate—and returned to Baltimore to work for McCormick, where I manage the Kitchen Basics culinary stock business. We are having dinner with Adam Bakun and his wife, Ann, in November at Blue Hill at Stone Barns—hoping for luck in getting our reservations.”

Yolanda Denson-Byers graduated from Luther Seminary with a doctorate in ministry. Her thesis was titled, Walk Me to Gate: Christian Practices of Accompaniment with Dying People and Their Families. Yolanda is called as a hospice chaplain and bereavement coordinator with St. Croix Hospice in St. Cloud, Minn.

Jim McLean writes: “I’m working as an emergency department physician assistant in Fort Collins, Colo., where my wife, Heather, and I just bought our house and are raising our 2-year-old, Felix. We just moved out here two years ago from Berkeley, Calif. Great hiking, super family-friendly, and tasty beer! Don’t get to see too many fellow alumni out here, but always glad to hear from people!”

Annika Sweetland is an assistant professor at Columbia University in psychiatry and public health, where she does global mental health research. She is happily married to photographer Nacho Guevara, whom she met during her Wesleyan study-abroad program in Costa Rica in 1997 and reconnected with 16 years later.

Dr. Brendan Armm is a leading nationally board-certified acupuncturist, and doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine, specializing in orthopedics, pain management, and integrative medicine. He serves on the faculty of one of the nation’s top Chinese medical schools. He is the founder and clinical director of Lotus Integrative Medicine Santa Monica. Inspired by the benefits acupuncture brought his patients, he created BackInBand®, a self-administered acupressure device that offers affordable and convenient daily treatment for low back pain.

Finally, it is with tremendous sadness that I have to report that our beloved classmate Obi Okobi has passed away. She was principal of City Neighbors Hamilton School, Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland, and had also worked in various capacities with the Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, The Park School of Baltimore, and Waverly Elementary/Middle School, all in Baltimore; and the Hamden Public Schools in Connecticut. Obi was a source of inspiration and joy to the students, teachers, families, and colleagues throughout the Baltimore district and Connecticut. She personified the love of learning, commitment to students, and dedication to the principles of equity and justice that are the hallmark of a great educator. Obi was an active member of many organizations and communities, focusing on arts and culture, children, civil rights and social action, education, health, human rights, poverty alleviation, and social services. She served as a mentor, motivational speaker, outreach coordinator, and girl’s lacrosse coach. She was an avid runner, participating in several half-marathons. She was on the board of directors of Sheldon Calvary Camp in Conneaut, Ohio, and also on the board of directors of Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

As I (Marcus) write this edition of our class notes, I await a visit by Michael Roth ’78 to San Francisco where he will discuss Wesleyan’s “Beyond 2020” vision and plan. Wesleyan has built generations of leaders who are able to work across disciplines and sectors, apply critical thought to the world around us, and compel others to action through articulation of a clear, inspiring vision. It’s clear to me that now, more than ever, these qualities are important to build a more just world—and it’s heartening to see our classmates work so hard to make a positive difference in a variety of ways.

In November, Brooks Berndt and Romarico “Chief” Nieto were part of a delegation that met with leaders from both the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the demonstrators opposing the Dakota access pipeline. Based in Cleveland, Brooks is the minister for environmental justice for the United Church of Christ. Together with Chief, owner and operator of Apache Stoneworks in Denver, he sought to spread a message of peace, prayer, and justice.

Jack & Louisa: Act 3, by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead ’98, is the third in the popular middle school series about two musical theater nerd best friends from Penguin Young Readers.

I enjoyed a fancy breakfast with Kate Haviland, her husband, Edo, and their new son, Elan, while Kate visited San Francisco for a conference. Based in Boston, Kate is chief business officer for Blueprint Medicines, a biotechnology company focused on an innovative approach to treating diseases driven by the abnormal activation of kinases, like cancer.

Over the past few months I’ve had the chance to see Lindsey Fitzgibbons and her family. Lindsey and her husband, Mike, are raising two beautiful boys while she continues to work in the health and wellness field in San Francisco. She is a practicing depth hypnotherapist who helps her clients heal traumas, work through current and past relationship issues, and recognize and address destructive patterns.

Thanks to my work with Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, I am lucky to be in near-constant contact with Makaela Kingsley, whose leadership and mentorship continue to amaze me. If you haven’t had the chance to meet some of the Wesleyan students and recent alumni who have learned from Makaela and her network of social entrepreneurs, I highly encourage you to do so. You’ll undoubtedly feel the same sense of hope and optimism I feel after my meetings and conversations with these inspiring students.

It’s a short and sweet edition of class notes this round. Please send your news to me and Jason!

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Jason writes for this issue: Most of us are celebrating our 40th birthdays this year. Who would have believed time would go by so fast? At Ian Tamayo’s 40th birthday party in New York City, I got to see my great friend, Maier Negugogor, who is living in Connecticut and has started a private practice in immigration law. I also got to see Chotsani Sackey who is living in New York City and working for a technology company.

Here’s what’s going on with some other fellow classmates:

Amy Barnes writes, “I’ve been happily living in the great Pacific Northwest (Redmond, Wash.) for the last couple of years with my fiancé, Noel Anderson, and our beautiful baby girl, Sarah (born last year). I’m enjoying my new role at AKT Wealth Advisors while nourishing my liberal arts spirit with writing workshops and volunteer work. Our Seattle Wes community lost a great friend and leader with the passing of Nick Waltner ’86.”

Dorothy Warner writes, “I live in Belmont, Mass., with my son, Alexander, who regularly and excitedly declares that he loves kindergarten (and Minecraft). We love biking to his school. I work with kids and adults as a clinical psychologist in Newton. I often see Becca Gerner and Hans Schroder ’99. In addition to world peace and an end to poverty, my hopes for the future include another Clinton presidency with Sanders in the Cabinet and getting to see Hamilton.”

Sarah Miller Lipton is living in LA with her husband, Glenn, and their two boys, Emmett (3 years old) and Ezra (22 months). Sarah works part-time as a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, aka “physiatrist,” in Santa Monica, focusing primarily in electrodiagnostic medicine.

Nancy Shane writes, “I just completed my PhD in aerospace sciences at the University of North Dakota. My research focused on the background, experience, and qualifications of pilots entering the regional airline industry. I also made a big move to the Midwest, where I am now the director of pilot sourcing and industry outreach at Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. So far Minneapolis has been fantastic, although winter hasn’t hit yet. I know I have a fantastic new parka in my future.”

Patrick Butler writes, “I got married in April (featured in The New York Times), and Michael Van Nimwegen got ordained to officiate the wedding. He broke his arm at my bachelor party in Alaska in February, and still managed to look good in a tux just six weeks later.”

Brodie Welch celebrated the 13th anniversary of her Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinic in Corvallis, Ore. Her new podcast, A Healthy Curiosity, which explores what it takes to be well in a busy world, will help your commute fly by. (You can find it on iTunes.) She’s also enjoying helping her full-time step-kids navigate eighth and 12th grade. Marrying a widower four years ago, she managed to skip over the sticky toddler years.

Justin Pidot spends most of his time in Denver, where he received tenure at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. This fall, he is on a leave of absence from academia and has joined the Obama administration, where he serves as the deputy solicitor for land resources at the Department of the Interior. It’s quite a change in pace, and he’s having a great time in D.C.

Abe Forman-Greenwald traveled to Liberia to film a short documentary focused on First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to promote her Let Girls Learn initiative. Letgirlslearn.gov is dedicated to improving education opportunities for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school.

Margaret Salazar has exciting news: “I am honored that Oregon Governor Kate Brown has asked me to serve as director of Oregon Housing and Community Services, our state housing agency. I look forward to leading the agency to expand housing opportunities for Oregonians in need.”

In March, Rebecca Alson-Milkman and Craig Thomas ’97 welcomed their second baby, nine years after her brother, Elliot. Celia Genevieve Thomas is named in memory of Rebecca’s mother, Sheila, and for the patron saint of Paris.

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Marcus writes: We begin this edition of Class Notes with a heartfelt apology. Alan Schlechter sent in a note in December 2015, but we forgot to include it in the last column, so huge apologies and thanks for writing in! Alan met up with Tim Whyte, deputy director of Save the Children in Bangladesh, and the two went camping in Kempton, Pa. The pair “freezed their tuchis off, hiked and cooked veggie dogs over an open fire and drank horrible beer.” It made for a memorable experience and a “wonderful time.”

Those following March Madness this year might have noticed Matt Kingsley, associate head coach of Yale’s men’s basketball, helping to lead the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 54 years. The team also celebrated their first tournament win (vs. Baylor) in history.

Anya Fernald continues to build her Belcampo empire with the release of her beautiful cookbook featuring a wide range of recipes (including some for cocktails!). Home Cooked: Essential Recipes for a New Way to Cook is available through amazon.com and in major bookstores.

Welcoming America founder and executive director David Lubell gave a TEDxBerlin Talk called “Migration: Why We Need to Talk to Strangers.” He argues that we need to rethink the lessons from our childhood about “stranger danger” if we want to have a better, more welcoming world.

Director of Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship Makaela Kingsley recently connected with Tali Shmulovich, who left her position as vice president of operations for Global Health Corps and is now HR consultant and executive coach for Partners In Health.

I found myself in Copenhagen participating in a variety of meetings focused on sustainability in the apparel industry. Sustainability Director for Mountain Hard Wear Laura Schaffer ’00 and I took the opportunity to catch up over several large beers. In addition to talking apparel supply chains, we reminisced about the Wesleyan swimming and diving team and commiserated over the increasingly high cost of living in the Bay Area.

Sophie Middlebrook Hayward celebrated her 40th birthday in San Francisco in May. It was fun catching up with Danielle Woodrow and Mary Lisio, who drove up from Los Angeles and took a break from the world of film and entertainment to celebrate. Sarah Margon, the head of Human Rights Watch’s Washington, D.C., office, also made the trip to San Francisco. Rounding out the Wes crew was Mark Karvosky ’97, who recently relocated to San Francisco from New York.

We know our talented classmates are up to incredible things, so please do send in your notes! We promise to be better custodians of news (apologies again to Alan Schlechter!).

Marcus Chung | marcuschung98@gmail.com

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Jason writes: Greetings fellow ’98ers. As I write, I am just coming off a much needed vacation from Puerto Rico with my husband, Patrick, and our two daughters Marian and Betty. We are settled for the long, long haul here in Charlottesville, Va., keeping our restaurant, MarieBette Cafe & Bakery, going steady and strong. If you are in the area, please come visit us.

But enough about me. Here’s what’s going on with some other folks from our class.

John Speck: “I’m writing from our new place in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Still ‘living the dream’, playing trombone and traveling (toured to Sydney Australia last October). I’m also spending a lot of quality time with our 1-year-old daughter, C.C. I saw Jason Gonzalez and his adorable son, Samson, at C.C’s first birthday party last month.”

Amy Davenport had twin boys in November—Avery River and Elias Birch. Their big brother, Lucas, is thrilled. She and her husband still live in Carrboro N.C. Amy graduated from Frontier Nursing University in July and will be starting as a midwife at UNC Chapel Hill in March.

Brad Hoffman writes: “After more than a decade as an institutional equity salesperson at Lazard Capital Markets and Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., I decided to try my hand at a startup and joined Claravant Analytics as the head of business development. Claravant analyzes medical products to determine their likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval, commercial success, and strength of their IP protection. We base our reports on confidential reviews of all available research information, regulatory correspondence, and intellectual property provided by the sponsor company. That said, we take things a step further than any of our consulting competitors insofar as we allow our clients to use our findings, if they so choose, to engage investors and potential partners. I’d welcome the opportunity to speak with alumni who are in the drug or medical device research, commercialization, or investment fields (bhoffman@claravant.com)”

Stacey Garfield Fox is a pediatrician, living in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. She left academic medicine in Philadelphia for small-town private practice at the beach. She’s on the board of the Delaware AAP and a member of the Delaware Breastfeeding Coalition.

Lauren Berliner and her partner, Minda Martin, welcomed their child, Lucien, last April 3rd. The family lives in Seattle, where Lauren and Minda both work as professors at the University of Washington Bothell. Lauren recently co-organized a symposium with Nora Kenworthy at the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington called “Crowdsourcing Care: Health, Debility, and Dying in a Digital Age” that included speakers Kalindi Vora and Christoph Hanssmann ’99, and participants Chris Wade ’00 and Johanna Crane ’93. When they realized how many of them went to Wesleyan, they had to take a moment to revisit the fight song. Go, Wes!

Amy Barnes welcomed a baby girl, Sarah, into the world last May and is enjoying life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest outside Seattle.

Sara Brenneis writes: “My husband, Eric Danton, and I are enjoying the radical life shifts our 1-year-old son, Charlie, brings to the mix. We’re still in Northampton, Mass., and I’m now an associate professor in the Spanish department at Amherst College. Would love to catch up with any Wesleyan ’98ers who are in the Pioneer Valley!”

Lena Maun DeSantis started the first annual Out Run Rett 5K Run which took place in New Suffolk, N.Y., on May 7. A beautiful run along the water on Long Island’s North Fork, it will raise money for the Rett Syndrome Research Trust.

David Lubell was named to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s first-ever 40 Under 40. If you’re not familiar with the Chronicle, it’s a 25-year-old independent news organization covering the nonprofit world. The 40 Under 40 is a list of extraordinary young nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, foundation officials, donors, and social entrepreneurs from across the country.

Guillermo Brown writes: “Greetings, everyone from sunny Los Angeles! I’m currently playing drums on CBS on the Late Late Show with James Corden, releasing new music from my band Pegasus Warning, and just won grants from Creative Capital and MIT for my new theater work Bee Boy. Had breakfast with Ian Edelman the other day, dope things coming…”

After several years leading affordable housing policy inside the beltway for HUD, Margaret Solle Salazar moved from Washington, D.C., to her hometown of Portland, Ore., in late 2014 and welcomed twins Gabriel and Veronica into the world. Margaret is now serving as field office director for the HUD Oregon State Office where she is tackling homelessness, distressed housing and gentrification in Portland’s overheated housing market and attempting to remove peanut butter daily from two feisty toddlers.

Tarmla Small writes: “I recently (July 2015) joined the Oliver Scholars Program and serve as the recruitment manager (and Kimberly King ’97 is on the board.) I absolutely love my job!”

Keep those updates coming!

Marcus Chung | marcuschung98@gmail.com

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Marcus writes: Cassie Colletti is happy to report that she married Sean Mecsery in November 2014 and is now stepmom to his 5-year-old daughter, Abigail. The family is thrilled to welcome Calista Kedron Rose Mecsery, who was born a few months ago.

In Pennsylvania, Scott McCracken was recently promoted to assistant medical director for York Hospital Community Health Center. He obviously misses the Wesleyan swim team and Freeman Athletic Center, since he swims three mornings a week at the York YMCA.

Kate Wetherhead is excited to share that her second book, Jack & Louisa: Act 2, will be available in February 2016. In the meantime, she is filling her spare time performing off Broadway in Clever Little Lies with Marlo Thomas.

Through her role as director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Wes, Makaela Kingsley keeps in touch with alumni around the world. She has recently been in touch with our classmates David Lubell of Welcoming America, Sarah Margon of Human Rights Watch, Amir Hasson (who is a new father! Congratulations!) of Oxigen USA, and Marcus Chung of The Children’s Place.

MARCUS CHUNG | marcuschung98@gmail.com

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com