Tag: 1999

There’s a chance you read about our classmate Eli Newell in The New York Times—in March, they covered his story of two weddings and avoiding a funeral in the same year. An incredible story. We’re thrilled that Eli has recovered from his heart surgery and is happily married to the fast-thinking Dr. Erika Amundson!

Hannah Sharpless Graff shared that she is “in one of those life shifts right now. I feel old saying my husband, John (an engineer at Metalenz, based in Boston), and I have lived in Swampscott for almost 20 years. My 16-year-old, Theo, attends a very small boarding school in Connecticut that has absolutely changed our family dynamic, as he is finally content and getting the support and structure he needs to thrive. He is showing an extraordinary aptitude, and, more importantly, enthusiasm for chemistry. My eldest, Tex, is off to college next year and has some exciting choices to make—wherever he goes, he wants to be close to mountains. I am preparing, with a tiny knot in my stomach that is surrounded by excited butterflies, to wonder why the house is so quiet. In addition to ‘momming’ and community work, I have an art practice that is based in natural colors and nature-based exploration. I collaborate with local artists, teach occasional workshops, organize a local artisan festival, and design logos, tees, and more for my local town conservancy and other nonprofits. I am definitely most interested in the process, and my ADHD is sated by the infinite paths of learning that occur when working with and within nature. All in all, I’m a lucky human existing in a hard world and I find my peace walking my dogs in the woods and along the beaches of Swampscott. In a time where everything seems to devolve into the binary, I love that I can have rich, meaningful, and silly conversations with my Wes people online or, more rarely, in person.” 

Liz Garcia shared that our 25th was her first reunion EVER. “I’ve been back for film department occasions over the years, (such as teaching a writing workshop to the razor-sharp students this past fall) but the time has come to see as many folks as possible! Life in Brooklyn is much better now that the sun has come out and the flowers are blooming. My son and I have been loving every minute of Dan Shotz‘s Disney+ show, Percy Jackson (I highly recommend it to parents like me who have a hard time tearing their kids away from YouTube). My feature comedy, Space Cadet (which I wrote and directed), starring Emma Roberts and Gabrielle Union, comes out on Amazon Prime video this July (also family viewing material). My life is richer because I get to see Elizabeth LeSure Epstein and Jim Epstein, Carly Detterman, and Sarah Schorr on the regular. My kids and Joann Kamuf’s ’00 kids are school pals.

Congratulations to Ross Stafford who was inducted into Wesleyan football’s  1990s All-Decade Team. Ross lives in northern New Jersey, has two daughters (ages four and seven), and works as a PMP-certified project manager. He is also a business owner and launched a digital marketing agency last spring.  

Eve Fox is the digital director at Beyond Plastics, where she works with Megan Wolff trying to halt the petrochemical industry’s build-out in the U.S. and reduce the negative environmental, health, climate, and environmental justice impacts of plastic pollution. Eve is also coming up on her sixth year serving on the board of the Woodstock Day School, where she is currently the president, and trying to roll with the punches of parenting both a teenager and a tween.

Michael Hakim lives in Los Angeles and has been working with his former quarterback, Scott Hevesy ’97, on some media opportunities. Michael launched a real estate property technology company by converting an office building into a mix-use residential hotel with a rooftop lounge. He is exploring opening an art gallery in some vacant available space, and he also opened a modern synagogue for young Jewish professionals in Los Angeles. Michael also collaborated with an art director to design the largest mural in Beverly Hills on South Beverly Drive in honor of his grandmother who passed away in 2022.

Chris Varmus married Mara Jebsen, a poet and professor, in 2021, under the crabapple tree in his backyard in Brooklyn. He is getting a second master’s degree (first one was in social work) in fine arts, specializing in large-scale ink and mixed media collage works. Check out his work on Instagram @christophervarmusart (available for sales and commissions) or visit his studio in Brooklyn.

Adam Birnbaum and his wife, Alem, live in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Adam works as a commercial litigator in a Wall Street area firm. Alem is pregnant with their third child.

Robert Carrillo was the brainchild and an executive producer for the documentary Lucha: A Wrestling Tale, which had its world premiere at America’s largest documentary film festival, DOC NYC, on November 11, 2023. It won the festival’s coveted Metropolis Grand Jury Prize and was a runner-up for the Audience Award. Robert was also one of the wrestling coaches in the film.

Ari Gerzon-Kessler lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Sashi. They were thrilled to welcome their first baby, Selah Dove Gerzon-Rose, who turned one in October. Ari is in his seventh year leading the Family Partnerships Department for the Boulder Valley School District. A lover of books since his first job at age 11 in a bookstore, he is overjoyed to share the news of the publication of his book, On the Same Team: Bringing Educators and Underrepresented Families Together (Solution Tree, December 2023). Ari coaches the leaders of these families and educators together teams at 23 schools—a new model for school-family collaboration that is changing teachers and school leaders’ practices for partnering with diverse families and transforming the experiences of underrepresented families in our schools. 

Chris Hanssmann lives in the Bay Area, currently teaching at UC Davis. He published his first book, Care without Pathology, with University of Minnesota Press. In addition, he has been working as a member of Bay Area Jewish Voice for Peace to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. Chris signed the alumni petition demanding Wesleyan’s divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine and hopes other alums do the same!

Leila Buck and Adam Abel ’98 continue to ride the waves of exhaustion and joy as they learn how to parent their two-year-old daughter. They’ve been devastated by the Hamas atrocities of October 7 and the ongoing atrocities of the Israeli army and settlers since then. They are doing their best to support loved ones in Palestine, Lebanon, and Israel from their time living and working in all three places, and they are calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and continuing to work for a just peace in our time. Leila is teaching, writing, and occasionally performing while caring for their daughter and supporting her mom in the wake of her dad’s death last year. She knows many of us can relate to the sandwiching of child and eldercare, and to the navigation of personal and collective grief in these times. Sending wishes for comfort, healing energy, and support to all. 

Kevin and I hope that the year ahead is full of promise and possibilities. We look forward to connecting with many of you at our 25th Reunion in May!

#BallerAlert! Leander (Altifois) Dolphin was named to Corporate Counsel Business Journal’s inaugural list of “50 Women to Watch.” Leander was elevated by her firm to the role of co-managing partner in 2021, and then to the role of sole managing partner in 2022. She is the first African American woman in the firm’s history to lead as managing partner. As you can read in this press release on her recognition, this is only one of many accolades she’s received for her groundbreaking work. Way to go, Leander! (I can proudly say I knew you back when we were RAs in our junior year).

Chad Bartell is staying busy practicing business law in Madison, Wisconsin, by day and playing gigs by night with Panchromatic Steel—the steel band he founded in 2016. The band recently performed with steelpan luminary Andy Narell and is working on a recording that will feature a composition originally performed at Wesleyan’s CFA for the senior thesis recital of his Uncle Trouble bandmate, Kabir Sen.

Rachel Afi Quinn spent a year on sabbatical in NYC as a fellow at the Schomburg, working on a black feminist biography of mixed race pianist and journalist Philippa Duke Schuyler, seeing friends and lots of art and theater, and sharing her first book, Being La Dominicana: Race and Gender in the Visual Culture of Santo Domingo, with many interested readers in the Northeast. “Enjoyed my time in the city and you may see me back in the city some summers.” Rachel also received a 2023–24 fellowship from the National Endowment of the Humanities to continue that writing. “In this era of remote work, I will spend my fall with family in Ghana and spring with friends (who are like family) in the Dominican Republic, while finalizing the translation of my first book.”

Alison MacAdam is still living in D.C. and working in audio journalism. “Most recently, I edited a podcast called The 13th Step, about sexual misconduct in addiction treatment. In lighter news, I have a 13-year-old who has fallen in love with ultimate Frisbee (how Wes-ish!), and I’ve enjoyed reuniting on the soccer field with my Wesleyan teammate, Alison Brody ’97. I have also had some lovely visits with old Wesleyan friends, including Sahra Halpern and Dan Engler, Scott Cavanaugh and Ashley Grant ’00, Greg Brodsky, Leila Buck and Adam Abel ’98, Sean Bowditch, Ilya Marritz, and Marisa Kurtzman.”

Abbie Goldberg is still a professor of clinical psychology at Clark University but has also joined The Williams Institute at the UCLA Law School as a faculty affiliate. This has helped her to leverage her research on the effects of anti-LGBTQ legislation such as the Don’t Say Gay law in Florida. Her work on this issue has been featured in many mainstream news outlets including The New York Times. She has also published a few books over the past few years, including LGBTQ Family Building: A Guide for Prospective Parents (2022) and The (Mis)Representations of Queer Lives in True Crime (2023).

Arthur Baraf is in his 18th year as a public school high school principal at The Met, in Providence, Rhode Island. In November he’ll be a Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools scholar in Germany, where he’ll be visiting Jed Koslow in Berlin. Arthur is still married with two teen daughters, and still plays ultimate like he did for Nietzsche Factor but much slower.

Kevin’s company, Virta Health, was recently featured in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023. “While they surprisingly gave the cover of the print issue to Kim Kardashian instead of us, it’s great to see recognition for what we’re building to address the obesity and diabetes epidemic in the U.S.! Wish my mom and dad were still with us to be able to see my name in print in a publication that they would have heard of.”

Kabir Sen is living in Belmont, Massachusetts, with his wife, Rebecca, and three children—Eva (13), Julia (11), and Ethan (7). They are doing well and playing lots of basketball! He is in his 24th year teaching music at the Shady Hill School, and he plays live music residencies in Cambridge at the Lizard Lounge and the Plough and Stars (first and third Saturday of each month). He still makes beats and records lots of music, too, and has been releasing new songs each month. Give him a listen at https://linktr.ee/kabirsen!

Danielle Lazier is thrilled to announce that she is celebrating her 21st year in business as a Realtor in the San Francisco Bay Area with her own company, Vivre Real Estate. It’s always interesting, and she is grateful for all the clients, including many Wes alums who have trusted her to help them. On the home front, Danielle and her family are excited to celebrate their twins’ seventh birthday this summer. It’s hard to believe how fast time flies! They’ve been enjoying the NorCal lifestyle but are also looking forward to a trip to NYC to catch up with their Wesleyan friends and fellow alumni.

In March another Cardinal became a Bobcat. Leana Amaez ’02 joined Bates College as the vice president of equity and inclusion. Prior to Bates, Leana spent eight years at Bowdoin College as associate dean of students for diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has also led diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at an international insurance company and at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Leana began her career as a public defender in the Bronx, and later directed pro bono services for Maine’s civil legal service provider, Pine Tree Legal Assistance. I look forward to working with Leana to ensure that the college’s commitment to equity and inclusion is reflected authentically in campus culture, policies, and practices. Besides Leana, Matt Coyne ’12 (head football coach) and Stephen Engel ’98 (professor of politics and associate dean of the faculty) are at Bates too. Anyone else want to join us?

In the last issue, Kevin reported that the daughter of Avi Spivack and Nataly Kogan ’98 is at Wesleyan in the Class of 2026.  For those of you who have children in high school, let me know if you have any questions about the college application process or if you are planning a visit to Bates College. Happy to help in any way I can!

Earlier this year, Kevin had the chance to grab a drink with Alister Adams ’00 while he was in NYC on business. It had been a long time, and one of the blessings of travel picking back up is the opportunity to see more long-lost Wes friends.

Kevin and I would love to hear from more of you for the next issue. So, send us any updates or stories to share. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying the summer!—Darryl

After working and living in NYC for 22 years, Li Yu recently took a slight detour to work in D.C. for Senator Jon Ossoff as part of the majority (Democratic) staff for the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations from July 2021 to October 2022. Commuting between D.C. and NYC was challenging, but living in Silver Spring, Maryland, gave Li the chance to catch up with Morgan Whitlatch ’99.  Li is now back in NYC and returning to work as an enforcement lawyer.

Jared Kaplan is helping people buck the trend of COVID weight gain. “I am excited to announce I opened a new, expanded 8K-square-foot fitness and wellness space, Arrive, in NYC (29th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues for locals!).  Arrive is changing the way wellness works, with designed spaces plus a business incubator platform, and we’re super excited to settle into our new home for fitness and wellness pros. We’re grateful to have survived the pandemic as a brick-and-mortar facility (thanks dance major for teaching me some grant-writing skills!), and are excited to continue our growth in ’23.  Also glad to see a handful of Wes alum come through our doors as clients/patients.  And . . .  random: ran into Lauryn Siegel ’00 at the Wolfgang Tillmans exhibit opening party at MoMa recently, cuz, go Wes!”

Moving to exercise for the brain: Billy Brown wrote a book about connecting with nature in Philadelphia called Exploring Philly Nature: A Guide for All Four Seasons. Erin Morris taught an undergraduate consumer behavior course at Fairfield University as an adjunct faculty member in the marketing department this semester.

Julenne Farrar Mounts checks in from Maui: “Feeling grateful that we’ve finally protected our 18-acre farm from the invasive axis deer population and our fruit trees are back to producing— we harvested over 100 pounds of organic figs last month and enjoyed giving them to friends and the community. My daughter, who I brought as a toddler to our 10-year reunion, will now be considering Wes in her college search next year. Time flies! Not too many Wes alums out here in the middle of the ocean, but we’ve shared the Steiner education journey of our children with the amazing filmmaker Stefan Schaefer ’94, ran into Jess Sanders on a hiking trail in August, and I recently did publicity for a community festival only to learn the chair was an alum too—Lin (Zhong) ter Horst ’94 who has the delicious Maui Fruit Jewels business. Look us up if you come visit—we still have a landline in the white pages!”

Lauren Kesner O’Brien started working at Empire Clean Cities (ECC), an environmental nonprofit in NYC and the Lower Hudson Valley, in early 2022. “What a year it’s been! While I was out of the paid workforce raising my children, I spent time lobbying for legislation that is now funding a lot of the decarbonization projects I’m working on, specifically in the transportation sector. It feels great to see that impact, and to support clean transportation infrastructure and the move away from burning fossil fuels. Finally. I’m also lucky to spend time with fabulous Wesleyan ladies in Brooklyn including Steffie Kinglake, Rachel Ostrow, Virginia Gray, Margo Simon, and Diana Glanternik.”

Also in the environmental space: Laura Zaks works with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, an alliance of more than 130 organizations that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. “About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food. Farmers and food systems workers feel the impacts of economic and environmental shifts the earliest and the hardest, but they are also the best equipped to offer tangible solutions to the issues they face. We just launched our 2023 Farm Bill Platform and are gearing up for a mass mobilization, Farmers for Climate: Rally for Resilience. If any Wes climate and food activists want to join us in D.C. in March 2023, reach out!”

Avi Spivack and Nataly Kogan ’98 became legacy parents this year, as their awesome daughter, Mia Kogan-Spivack, joined the Wesleyan class of 2026! Mia is loving her Wes time so far, living in Butterfield and taking a heavy dose of science classes while also learning Spanish.

Grace Kim, Rebecca Slotnick, Chris Brody, and Ed Hong gathered in Manhattan and Boston for the bar/bat mitzvah celebrations of Ezra, son of Richard Kruger and Janice (née Gabucan) ’98, and Allegra, daughter of Jesse Feldman and Georgia. The kids offered expert recitations of the Torah and wise reflections on living a good life. Ed adds: “The parties were a rocking good time and fortunately, for this aging body, on the earlier side!”

Your class secretaries look forward to hearing more about what you all are up to in 2023!

For some of us, 2022 has been a year of change but also a time to reconnect with friends and classmates. In April, Brian LaCarrubba and his wife (along with their three cats who had no input on this decision) left Denver after 20 years to move to Madison, Wisconsin. They are appreciating being in a college town and one where the growth is not quite as explosive as it was in Denver. Then just when Brian thought his focus was going to be on settling into a new city, a new job opportunity came along! In July, he started working at RubinBrown as a consultant helping organizations navigate large technology projects. While he works remotely from Madison, his new-hire orientation in Chicago afforded him the opportunity to catch up with Frantz Williams who happened to be staying at a hotel on the same block for a conference.

Chad Bartell is also in Madison, Wisconsin, where he continues to practice law by day and play music by night. His steel-drum band, Panchromatic Steel, performed alongside steel-drum luminary Andy Narell in a citywide music festival in August. He is collaborating remotely with Kabir Sen on the further development of an original composition first performed at Kabir’s senior thesis recital at Wesleyan.

Arthur Baraf had the good fortune to see some live music in New Hampshire this summer with Greg Tuzzolo ’00, where they ran into Eric Werner ’00.

He also spent some time this summer with Jed Koslow (who just moved to Berlin with his family after being in Brooklyn for 20 years) and Bill Foster. Arthur is starting his 17th year as a high school principal at The Met High School in Providence, Rhode Island.

For others, 2022 has been a year of new beginnings. Leila Buck and husband Adam Abel ’98 have a joyful update to share—they welcomed their daughter into the world on March 12th of this year. Her name is Zayya, which means hope and faith in Arabic. They figured that we could all use more of those in these times! Leila is “grateful, sleep deprived, and sending energy and wishes for support to all of you out there giving care in so many forms.”

And finally, 2022 has been a year of notable accomplishments for some of our classmates. Through a highly competitive process with applicants from all over the world, Erik Rueter was selected to speak at Project Management Institute’s 2022 Global Summit. He will be leading an interactive session on using human-centered design to enable engagement and inclusivity on project teams.

Rachel Quinn received a Schomburg Fellowship! She will be a scholar-in-residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from this September through June 2023 to work on her second book. Folks should reach out if they want to connect in NYC.  https://uh.edu/class/news/archive/2022/july/feminist-scholar-rachel-quinn-awarded-esteemed-schomburg-fellowship/

Megan Wolff and Eve Fox are working together at Beyond Plastics (www.beyondplastics.org), a project of Bennington College that aims to end plastic pollution everywhere, led by former U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck.  Megan and Eve partnered on a new guide to help restaurants reduce plastic that went live in July. https://www.beyondplastics.org/press-releases/restaurant-guide-to-reducing-plastic

Kevin has had multiple Wes run-ins through work lately. He met David Burke ’10 at The Conference Board in NYC. David is leading wellness and benefits for IBM. Despite being from slightly different eras, they shared experiences of MoCon, Clark Hall (David citing the “new Clark,” not the condemned version of the late 90s) and learning how to think. Kevin also reconnected with Jonathan Bush ’93, who continues to shake up the world of health care and drag it into the modern era of technology.

May the rest of 2022 be full of change, hope, and connection.

Gloria (Weber) Plaks kicks us off with great energy: “Hi Wes fam. I like to think of you to lift my mood during these crazy times . . . Nicole, Nana, Janine, Novi, Kinshasa, Kandi, Jaime, Freddy, Jason, Mel, Carole, Ale, Caliente Peeps & La Casa Crew (sorry I can’t list you all, I would be here all day). . . . The memories of our times at Wes together still make me smile today.  My hubby and I are holding down the fort with four kids in a pandemic school year.  We are both still school teachers . . .  me in high school with big kids and him in elementary school with 3- to 7-year-olds. . . .  Through all (the pandemic madness), we are happy that we are there for the students. Then we come home to four kids, ranging from 2 years old to 15 years old, and a new lovely madness begins . . . dinner, homework, playtime, dishes, organizing, showtime, and maybe a little yelling (but VERY LITTLE).  I couldn’t do it without the support of my husband, Eric Plaks, who always steps up without me needing to say a word and my mother who we call on CONSTANTLY to pick up sick kids from school, to give us date nights, to drive kids to doctor appointments.  I am blessed, happy, and my heart is full.  Hope you are all doing well.  If you are out there struggling, I wish you strength.  Take care!”

Movin’ on up: In Biz Journal, Bozoma Saint John shared the story of her career path that led her to being the chief marketing officer of Netflix. Saint John “reconsidered her medical-career goal after being inspired by an African American Studies class during her freshman year at Wesleyan.” Kate Whitman Annis was appointed as the executive director of the NJ Devils Youth Foundation. More on that move here. Zack Becker was recently promoted to the rank of commander with the Houston Police Department, taking charge of their Midwest patrol division. “I’ve been with HPD for over 21 years now—time has absolutely flown by.”

Adam Birnbaum and wife Alem bought a 117-year-old house in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where they live with daughter Sonya, who’s going to be two in May. “We’re in the middle of renovations, which we hope will be done before Sonya reaches retirement age.”

Sahra Halpern and Dan Engler are marking 12 years in Oakland, California, where they live with kids Hanna (12), Adam (almost 10), a poodle named Pepper, and two cats. “After 15 years at Schwab, I left in the early days of the pandemic for a large community development financial institution (CDFI), a nonprofit lender that provides financing for affordable housing and small businesses in underserved communities. Dan continues to grow his practice at Cox, Castle & Nicholson, providing legal services in real estate. We are looking forward to resuming travel this year, with trips to Montana and Maine and hoping to cross international boundaries as soon as possible!”

The world seems to be bringing Wes alums together of late. From Eve Fox: “The smallness of the world was confirmed again for me when former class of ’99er, Megan Wolff, joined the staff of Beyond Plastics, the nonprofit led by former U.S. EPA regional administrator Judith Enck, where I’ve been the digital director for the past few years. Megan’s our new policy director and it’s been great to reconnect with her.”

Alison MacAdam left NPR several years ago and is working as a freelance story editor for documentary podcasts and radio. Some recent projects include 544 Days and a series for NPR’s Embedded. “I also have the pleasure of working with Eve Abrams ’93 on an upcoming podcast series called Hot Farm (it’s not porn, I swear) from the Food and Environment Reporting Network. Still living in DC and enjoying time with Wes friends, old and new.”

This “small world” trend hit your class secretaries, too. Darryl sends greetings from cold Maine, where he shared that Bates just hired Matthew Coyne ’12 as their new head football coach.  “Another Cardinal becomes a Bobcat!” I (Kevin) had a similar experience at my last company, where we hired the supremely talented Jiun Kimm ’10 as our head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of run-ins with other classmates too. In late December I joined a group of graduate school classmates for dinner, which included Mark Zubko and his wife Alex Charters Zubko. My most random run-in was Marnie (Randall) Craycroft, who spent time on the same tiny island in Maine that we did last summer. It’s a small world, but Wesleyan is all over it!

In 2019, Davis Thompson-Moss opened Crown Heights Healing, a community yoga, reiki and sound healing studio in Brooklyn.  After the pandemic hit, it became a Zoom space for people to meditate, do yoga and stay connected, open to all people, all levels. Much to his joy, Wesleyan friends come through regularly: Chris Coyle, Jake Kheel, Kabir Sen, Phil Frank, Allegra Jones, Josh Harris, Daniel Lawren, Rachel Ostrow, Miriti Murungi, Danny Forster, Keith Witty ’01.  If you’re seeking a physical or meditation practice, reach out at davistmoss@gmail.com.

Although Tara Cohen and her family relocated from the Bay Area to southeast Michigan more than five years ago, it still feels new in many ways. One of her all-time favorite things in Michigan is the wild black raspberry season in their backyard; the gorgeous pinks and purples mark the beginning of summer. There’s never a dull moment at their house with two energetic kiddos (a rising first grader and a preschooler) and their elderly dog and cat. Tara works for the county’s Community & Economic Development Department where she manages the CDBG program for affordable housing and public infrastructure improvement projects. In November 2020, her spouse was elected as Clerk of the Township, so she’s also getting a taste for being married to an elected official, something no one trains you for 🙂 If anyone is passing through the Ann Arbor area, please say hello!

   Katie Redwine has been having an inappropriate amount of fun these days. She has the pleasure of meeting new people every week performing autism assessments virtually and loves the cognitive rigor and emotional depth of those experiences. In her other waking hours, she’s fascinated watching her 12-year-old son navigate adolescence and her 10-year-old son fling himself headlong into every new situation. Both boys earned their black belts in tae kwon do this spring. Katie and her husband have tackled many home projects, and can now do so with harmony, which everyone who’s gone through the renovation process knows is a feat in itself!  Her family has been hosting outdoor bashes during COVID and they’re traveling again, complete with surf lessons in Sayulita.  Plus, Katie was told by several folks that she can now speak Spanish like a 6 year old, which makes her inordinately proud.

   Chad Bartell and his wife Julie took a two-week trip to the Galapagos Islands in May and saw wildlife both above sea level and below. After a COVID-related downsizing at his company of nearly 10 years where he was in-house counsel, Chad now practices business law with a small firm in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. He performs regularly in the summer with the steel drum band he founded in 2016. He and Julie have two boys, 11 and 13.

Rachel Ostrow showed new paintings at Planthouse Gallery in NYC this fall.  The opening was on October 28th.

   Leander Dolphin was elected co-managing partner of Shipman & Goodwin LLP. She previously served on the firm’s Management Committee.  She continues to practice law as a member of and partner in School Law Practice Group and has dedicated her career to advising educational institutions and organizations.

   Erik Rueter gave a webinar about diversity, equity and inclusion for Project Management Institute that has almost five thousand viewers (live plus on demand). He also guest lectured about structural racism in oncology care for Mattitiyahu Zimbler’s ’01 classes on prejudice at Boston College and at Emerson.  His paper on strategies to address racism in oncology care is in review and will hopefully be published in Oncology Nursing Journal.

   Rachel Afi Quinn earned tenure at University of Houston where she was promoted to associate professor in the Comparative Cultural Studies Department and the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program. Her first book Being La Dominicana: Race and Identity in the Visual Culture of Santo Domingo was published with University of Illinois Press in late July. Rachel and her partner Eesha Pandit have been building the social justice South Asian feminist community South Asian Youth in Houston Unite and coordinated their fifth annual summer institute for South Asian youth in Texas this year.

As for your class secretaries, it was a summer of reconnecting and change!  Kevin and his family escaped from their house in New Jersey and spent the summer on Sebago Lake in Maine.  He caught up with Darryl in Freeport and visited Professor Emeritus Richard Miller, who hasn’t lost a beat of his sharp wit.  In September, Kevin started a new gig at Virta Health, working on reversing Type 2 diabetes.  Meanwhile, Darryl and his husband traveled to New Jersey and Ohio to see family who they hadn’t seen for nearly two years.

May the new year be full of good health and wonderful surprises! Hope to hear from you in 2022!