Class Notes

Kathy Opiela King joined the AICPA as Senior Director of Public Affairs, Advocacy and Media Relations in 2019. She loves the job and enjoys working in D.C. versus her former commute to Tysons Corner. She has spent most of the past two years working on her M.B.A at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. She reports that it has been intense but very rewarding.

Brendan Mahoney lives in Richmond, VA and works for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) as a Registered Nurse Care Consultant. He works with the intellectually and developmentally disabled population in the state, coordinating their medical care needs in private facilities throughout the Commonwealth. He has been married since 2015 to Lucy, who he met online, through CatholicMatch.com. Lucy is a native of Indonesia, and their courtship was unique over several time zones, with Brendan traveling to Indonesia three times. They have become very familiar with the immigration process, and Lucy hopes to pursue citizenship in the near future. She has her permanent resident (card) status and is able to work full-time. Brendan’s father, Dr. Bernard Mahoney retired from the Department of Chemistry in 2002 and lives in Fredericksburg with Brendan’s mother, Kathleen. Brendan remains active in the Richmond music community playing drums in bands, and cutting a record with a local band, The Hullabaloos. Brendan also enjoys working with the youth ministry at his local church.

Dr. Felicia Baxter writes that she discovered the self publishing craze after one of our classmates self-published her first book. Felicia purchased the initial publishing package but made no effort to complete the project until last summer. She completed the final manuscript for NOT MY FAMILY in January 2019. It is loosely based on her life and her discovery / rewrite of her ancestral line to deal with generational dysfunction.

As for my updates, I have had a great time reconnecting with friends in Virginia since relocating here last year. Several months ago, Felicia Baxter, Janelle Buchanan and I had brunch in DC. Lela J. “ Lejai” Baldwin and I met up in Old Town Alexandria for dinner and drinks. Jean Sudlow Simpson, Aimee Cooper Starr, Rob Teweles and I met in Fredericksburg for lunch at Sammy T’s on a warm (blazing hot) Sunday afternoon in July. We talked for hours and strolled around campus. We had a great time catching up. The campus was very quiet but it was great to see the new buildings, talk to the campus police officer on duty and reminisce.