Class Notes

Lots of new babies to celebrate for the Class of 2000! Olivia Synnott Landry, her husband, and son welcomed baby Liam Bernard. The Landrys live in Stephenson, Va., and run a barbecue catering business at the Jordan Springs Market.

Last May, Sarah Stacy Selgas, an account director, and Tim Selgas ’97 of Philadelphia welcomed son William.

Lauren Rizzi Crawford and husband Peter live in Washington, D.C., with son Flynn Peter, born in October. Jonathan Branson proposed to Kristin DeGraff on a Disney cruise in October.

Christen Masaniello Bensten’s Blue Egg Brown Nest furniture-refinishing business and blog offers cool, vintage finds and ideas. Christen recently posted online tutorials on her chalk paint process. Her daughter, Greta, started kindergarten this year.

Beth White Busch, husband Matt, and daughter Becca lived without power for a very long time after Hurricane Sandy, but they all are safe and sound.

Ryan Wellner of Annapolis, Md., assistant lacrosse coach and defensive and recruiting coordinator for the U.S. Naval Academy, caught up with a couple dozen fellow UMW alumni at the Navy vs. Johns Hopkins game at Navy Marine Corps Stadium.

In California, Jasmine Commerce, mother to 13-year-old Ella, recorded an EP of original music with Sean Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek. Jasmine did a monthlong East Coast summer tour with singer-songwriter Rheanna Downey, and the two plan to release an album this summer.

Last fall, my husband, Chris Sicuranza ’98, and I ran the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C. Among 33,000 people, we saw Ryan Wellner, who was there to cheer on friends. I am training for another half marathon.

Last August, Chris and I went to the Outer Banks with his family. We wanted a portrait and hired a photographer, who, unbeknownst to me, was Amy Davis Dixon! Amy has a photography business in Manteo, N.C., where she lives with her husband and two children.

Last fall, Amy, Sara Monaghan Poole, Julie Rakowski Marino, Beth Wheeler Byrd, Susie Jackson Bull, Courtney Gelardi, and Whitney Wallace Griffiths had a girls’ weekend in Fredericksburg. They saw the UMW pedestrian bridge and great new restaurants but were happy some things never change − like Trinkle Hall and the Caroline Street shop with wigs in the window.

Mel Sirois completed her 20th marathon in November.

Editor Kari McGlamery Donner, husband Rob, and son Liam, 5, live in York, Pa. It’s been more than a year since Kari’s treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and she is healthier than ever. Last fall, she did a reading at Liz McKeeby’s wedding and co-hosted a baby shower for Lauren Rizzi Crawford.

I feel honored to be your class agent. Many of you read this, but I may not have heard from you for a while, so send me an update.

If you didn’t get an email or Facebook message, please check the email address the alumni office has on file for you. If you did submit news that isn’t included here, please let me know by email or on the MWC Class of 2001 Facebook page.

Nikki Langston Webb and husband Hunter live in Portsmouth, Va., with daughters Taylor, 3, and Caitlyn, born in October. Nikki is the senior analytical chemist for the City of Chesapeake. Lauren Fisher Correia of Alexandria, Va., runs her private psychology practice and performs risk assessments for reality TV candidates. She is training for the D.C. Marathon.

Stephanie Betancourt Brady; her husband; Caleb Allan, 6; Peyton Renee, 4; and Reese Evangeline, 2, moved from Hawaii to Arizona. Stephanie is an IT-marketing specialist and her husband is training in military intelligence. She completed her first half-marathon in Hawaii and planned to complete her second in Phoenix.

Carla Villar Walby lives in Reston, Va., with husband Nathan and son Elvis, 2. A registered nurse certified in cosmetic facial injections, Carla works for a plastic surgeon. Maryjane Wysocki of Satellite Beach, Fla., is regional employment coordinator for the state agency for those with developmental disabilities.

Jason Roy and Lori married in July and are building a home and life together in Wilmington, N.C. Jason is nursing supervisor in a 500-bed trauma center, where he was an ICU nurse and flight paramedic.

Jennie Jarvis von Drehle of Chicago, Ill., welcomed a daughter in January 2012. She works in the DePaul University International Programs office and planned to run her first 5K in December.

Stephanie Lee Scheibe Barb manages the digital archive of the audio-visual collections at the Library of Congress Packard Campus in Culpeper, Va. She is the Orange County (Va.) Girl Scouts service unit manager.

Sara Harney Correll of Gainesville, Va., a high school counselor, her husband, and two children, Noah and Hannah, expect a third child this spring.

Monica Agudelo has Marcela, 4, and baby Caroline Lister Stambaugh. After teaching earth science for eight years in Chesapeake, Va., Monica was named 2012 high school teacher of the year. She has a new job as technology integration specialist.

Gina Clough-Leonard and husband Mike welcomed their second child, John Bentley, in September. He came three months early, but he is thriving and will soon be playing with his big sister.

Jordy Keith’s work in government affairs for the Texas National Guard takes her to D.C. several times a year. She travels, plays women’s flat track roller derby, and spent Thanksgiving in the Netherlands.

In September, Ashley Beck and Ryan Holmes married in Richmond, where they live, and honeymooned in Hawaii and Colorado. Amy Leachtenauer Miller, Kelli Beers Cooke, and Angela Mills attended the wedding.

Angela Mills and Julia Ciarlo Hammond are excited to serve on the UMW Alumni Board as alumni volunteers and as advocates for all alumni.

Teresa Joerger Mannix continues as senior director of communications at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. Claudia Matamala Lemus will be in the Seattle, Wash., area while her husband is stationed at Fort Lewis. Their two children are in preschool, and Claudia teaches ninth- and 10th-grade biology.

Allyson Bristor and Christopher Brekke married in July at the historic T.B. Story Mansion in Bozeman, Mont., where they live. Pastor Michael Gutzler officiated. Other alumni at the wedding included Kimberly Kollmann Keating, Bridget Geiman Dickensheets, Karen Slotsky, Claire Van Til, Cory Kegerise, Beth Schminke ’03, and Emma Law Gutzler ’02.

Paula Snell of Quinton, Va., completed a master of divinity degree in 2011 and is beginning a career as chaplain for a senior-care facility. Her son-in-law passed away last spring, so she is grateful her daughter and granddaughters − ages 3 and 1 − live nearby so she can give them lots of much-needed extra love.

Katie Laskey-Donovan and husband Ricky Donovan of Lakewood, Ohio, welcomed daughter Roisin Helen in October. Martine St. Germain Barre, husband Buddy, and son Caden were joined recently by baby daughter Jaelin Marie Barre. Martine is a physical therapist in Beaufort, S.C.

Madelyn Marino hopes to a run a half marathon in each state. She completed races in Key West; Moab, Utah; Sydney, Australia; Chicago; Philadelphia; and Richmond, where she joined Jen Amore and Annie Johnston.

Virginia Green Bartlett, husband Shane, and daughter Sophia welcomed baby Ellison last fall. Sarah Meharg is pursuing a master’s in social work at Catholic University of America. She enjoys horseback riding. Katherine Marie Winslow was born to Kim Kelley Winslow and Chris Winslow in September. Kim is senior audit manager with KPMG. Chris practices law in Midlothian and is an adjunct professor of political science at UMW.

I still live in London and started a new job heading business development for the charities investment team at Investec Wealth & Investment. I hiked two of the three tallest peaks in Britain and hope to include the third and the next Dublin Marathon − if my knees can take it! It has now been 11 years since I took on the honor of being Class Agent. If anyone would like to help, please contact the alumni office.

Dana Angell Puga received a master’s degree in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University. While there in summer 2011, she participated in a joint venture with the University of Westminster, studying London museums.

Erin Fish Palko and husband Rodger welcomed their second son, Matthew Joseph, on Aug. 28, 2012. Big brother Scott loves helping to take care of his new brother.

Dana Ferreira and wife Joelle Gotwals welcomed a baby, Neva Janis, in May. Mary Osing Casciano and Matt Casciano welcomed daughter Garbriella Shea in August. Cara Stout of Austin, Texas, is southwest regional director of admissions for Boston’s Northeastern University. She is responsible for recruitment and application review in her area.

In July, Nadia Alfred Mudder, husband Jan, and son Jeremiah welcomed Audrey Grace to their new home in Shenzhen, China. Navigating a city with an infant, a toddler, and a frantically small knowledge of Chinese makes for interesting and memorable moments, she said. Jan teaches history and economics. Nadia plans to return to teaching English.

Abbey Meyrick married Jesse Iliff in October. A certified children’s yoga teacher, Abbey has taught second and fourth grades in Annapolis, Md., since graduating from Mary Washington.

Kristen Kosinski and Jamie Moye of Vienna, Va., married in September in Arlington. Lauren Drennen Bohnert, Joanna Duggan, Amanda Mulhern, and Erin McLaughlin were bridesmaids, and Caitlin Flynn Todd, Matt Casciano, Mary Osing Casciano, Jennifer Condon Entwistle, and Patrick Loth attended. Kristen is a creative and branding senior specialist for a medical association.

As for me, I started my own business, Culinary Connection by Next Course, in Manhattan in September. Our goal is to provide a free service connecting corporate and personal event hosts with restaurants in Manhattan.

Marine Capt. Colin Jones travels to North Africa with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 13.2 to conduct limited crisis response and humanitarian assistance.

Chareese Ross studies Russian and traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, to learn about poverty there. She volunteers with international and exchange students at Georgetown University, introducing them to U.S. culture.

Marine Corps 1st Lt. Chase Llewellyn and Heather married in Virginia Beach in March with Dimitri Salonikios, Zac Smith, Zack Ward, Laura Vigliotti ’08, and Jameson Cowan ’05 in attendance. They honeymooned in St. Lucia and live in Virginia Beach, where Chase is stationed.

Linda Fairall and Neil Stedman, who began dating as freshmen at Mary Washington, married in September on the Outer Banks. They live in Alexandria, Va., and own a bridal boutique, Fabulous Frocks of Alexandria. Neil also works in real estate development.

Katie Decker Tanis and Matt Tanis married in October. Leigh Dorris was maid of honor. The couple lives in Texas, where Matt is a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.

Caitie Eck has returned to Virginia. In June, she and Erik Schaum celebrated their engagement with Marion Bernstein, Nancy Raia, Andrea Wyatt, Megan Anderson, Shana Muhammad, Kevin Stallings, Ally Lee ’05, and Kate Martland ’05.

Kirk Roberts and Lauren Freeze married in August and live in Richmond.

From Jay: I live in Tysons Corner, and I am an associate at the Alexandria law firm of LeClairRyan, doing business-to-business litigation. I hope to move to Pentagon City/Crystal City.

I was excited to see all the 2007 alumni at the Homecoming five-year reunion in October. If you missed the five-year reunion, be sure to update your contact information in the alumni directory so you will get future notices. Also, please consider giving to UMW this year. Your contribution of even $20.07 makes a large difference in our rank among classes and to the community.

Josh Rutherford is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology at La Salle University in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Singletary and Charlie Palen married in Vienna, Va., in October, and plan to honeymoon in Costa Rica in January. Stephanie Barnes is a registered nurse living in Newport News, Va.

Stephanie Tait is doing awesome! She plans to finish a master’s degree and get married in May. She is a communications specialist at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and she has a dog, Gunner.

Allison James Airhart and husband Alex Airhart ’06 live in Northern Virginia and work at Volkswagen Group of America Inc. in Herndon. Allison has a JD from University of Florida and is corporate counsel for all group brands, including VW, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti. Alex has an MBA/ master’s degree from Florida and runs the VW national accessories sales program.

Ashley Sifer has a graduate degree from Saint Joseph’s University and is a part of the Teach For America Four Corners 2011 Corps. This is her third year teaching high school English on a Navajo reservation in Northeastern Arizona. Jessica McKenzie of Boston is a channel account coordinator with HubSpot, the company that invented inbound marketing.

Dale McCleese received a promotion to battalion chief of the Prince William [Virginia] Fire and Rescue Department in 2008. In 2010, he became chief of the Manassas, Va., Fire and Rescue Department. He retired in May of 2011 and moved to the Northern Neck of Virginia, where he has an RV and enjoys traveling.

Lisa Wilkerson moved to Nashville, Tenn., to preserve the sweet sounds of Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Margaret Murray Bloom and Noah Bloom married in April and live in Charlottesville, Va., where Margaret has a special event venue and planning business.

Trevor Daubenspeck is pursuing an MBA at the Mason School of Business at William & Mary, where he served as president of the Graduate Student Council. Alison Samuels purchased a house and moved to a new job as a senior associate at a national accounting firm.

Will Trahan graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, where he received many top honors and awards. He plans to pursue a master of science degree and a periodontology residency at VCU.

Christine Chapman and Colin Deyman ’09 married in June at Winnekenni Castle in Haverhill, Mass. Christine uses her master’s degree in microbiology doing cholera research at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Alyssa Lee is with Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital. She joined the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club and competed in three regattas.

Mary Lauren Schoen married Connor Garrison in Atlanta in October. They honeymooned in Puerto Rico and live in Atlanta. Kaitlyn Butler, a fifth-grade teacher in Spotsylvania, Va., plans to marry Patrick Boyle in July 2014.

Maggie White will pursue a master’s degree focusing on animal-assisted social work in Denver. With a master’s degree in special education from William & Mary, Elizabeth Robey teaches third, fourth, and fifth grades in Williamsburg, Va.

Alyssa Ballentine is in New Hampshire to begin an accelerated 16-month nursing program. Brent Turner, formerly known as “Colin,” is a first-year medical student at MCV. He has a master’s degree in public health and reproductive biology, and he taught sexual education and was an HIV counselor in Baltimore city schools.