Class Notes

As you read this our fifteenth reunion is around the corner! I hope many of you are planning to come to Fredericksburg in May to not only reminisce and catch up with old friends, but to see what’s new. Not having been to campus since our tenth reunion, I have a feeling the place has changed a lot since then. I’m really excited to see you there.

Once in a while we hear from a classmate that we haven’t heard much news of since we graduated. Such is the case this issue. Jessica Folkerts writes that after she left Mary Wash, she worked in the environmental policy/advocacy field before going on to get her master’s degree in Global Health Policy at GWU. She worked full time in the fundraising department at GWU while taking night classes, so it took about four years to finish. She then went on to work at USAID in maternal and child health for six months. In late 2007, she ‘pretty much burned out’ in D.C. and decided to move to Boulder, Colorado, where she helped develop two charitable organizations – one focused on environmental policy and advocacy, and the other on mentoring and empowering at-risk youth. She also discovered her adventurous side in Colorado; she took up rock climbing, whitewater rafting and skiing, and spent time summiting 14ers (14,000-ft mountains), running and practicing yoga.

When she reached 31, Jessica decided to travel. She left the States in November 2009 and took off on a solo trip around the world. She spent five months surfing, caving, kayaking and climbing, and made a wide range of diverse friends…from an Italian model to a Vanuatuan village chief. She had countless unforgettable experiences, from sailing a traditional Waka (a Polynesian oceanic sailing vessel) with a crew of Vanuatuan and Maori men on the Pacific Ocean, to spending four days in a silent meditation retreat, and from living in a tent in a field with a horse for two months in New Zealand to cooking on an organic farm and bathing elephants on an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

When she ran out of time and money, Jessica came to England to see her birthplace and to see about a Cornishman she met while in Australia (he was her surf instructor.) Born in England and raised in the States, Jessica enjoys dual nationality so she can live and work in Europe without a visa. She ended up living by the sea in a tiny village in North Cornwall for four and a half years. She worked as a bartender in the local pub for two years, and then found a job working in marketing and PR for a local, family-owned business. While in Cornwall she continued to hike, run, practice yoga and attempt to surf. She even took up skateboarding and was the singer in a rockabilly pub band. Jessica loved life in Cornwall, but it was too isolated and she wanted to focus on my career again. Which brings us to the present: Jessica just moved to Cambridge, England, and started a new position at a creative marketing/advertising agency called Honest Ideas. Eventually though, Jessica wants to become a yoga instructor and run her own studio.

Mike Steele has been recognized by the YWCA of South Hampton Roads as one of 10 men at the group’s 1st Annual Men Who Empower event. Last year, Mike was recognized as Top 40 Under Forty by the Hampton Roads business magazine, Inside Business. Mike is an attorney in the Virginia Beach office of Williams Mullen. Sarah E. Colona was awarded 2013-2014 Professor of the Year by the Student Government Association of Burlington County College.

Nora Cronin reports that she recently left a position as a Senior Trial Attorney with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to accept a two year appointment in the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. While she was sad to leave NYC behind, she has been enjoying her time upstate and is doing a lot more hiking. At work, Nora has been analyzing and helping create policy on a wide range of public safety topics, from cyber security to preventing human trafficking.

In May, Laura and Jeff Howard welcomed their first child, Katherine Lois, into the world. Katie is doing very well and the three now reside in Arlington, Virginia. Shauna Mahony Pick currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, with husband Austin Pick and her sweet puppy. Shauna is a massage therapist with a private practice, and Austin is a fiction writer and works at Naropa University.

In September, Sarah Sedaghatfar Little and husband Jason welcomed their second child, Jagger Rhys Little. Big brother Dylan will turn four in June. Sarah and her family are loving life on an island in South Norwalk, Connecticut. Diana Daly Epstein had a baby boy in October. Eli Daly Epstein is Diana’s and husband Jonathan’s first child. They are overjoyed to be parents.

Lieutenant Commander Lauren Cameron Fiske, Medical Corps, U. S. Navy, completed her Infectious Disease fellowship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2013. She is a 2007 graduate of the VCU School of Medicine. Dr. Fiske earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Tropical Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2014. Dr. Fiske is board certified in adult infectious diseases, internal medicine and pediatrics, and is a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Fiske is presently practicing Infectious Disease at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Lorton, Virginia, where she also serves as Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control.

Libby Eddy Rowe and husband Jeremy welcomed their second child, son Maverick, on March 21, 2014. Big brother Wyatt is now three. Libby and her family currently live in Lochbuie, Colorado, where she is a dean of the middle school at a K-8 charter school.

Grant Matthews is living in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, with his girlfriend Emily of 2.5 years. They are the proud parents of four backyard chickens who are surprisingly simple to keep and provide fun and food! They work tons, but Grant says luckily he is in a career supporting environmental well-being, something he always knew he would do for a living. He enjoyed seeing fellow alums at Travis Bjorklund’s (2002) wedding earlier in October. Grant says our 10 year class reunion was a hit involving wine and cross-dressing.

Kristin Simmers has been teaching overseas since graduating from MWC, and is currently working at a United Nations affiliate school in Bangkok, Thailand. Shalini Robison and husband Adam Robison ’03 took a six month sabbatical to travel all over Europe and Asia. Destinations included France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, India and Thailand.

On September 22, Chip McCraw and wife Stephanie welcomed their first child, a daughter named Charlotte Reese. They see Evan and Susan Steinberg regularly and vacationed with them in July, along with their one year old son Grant.

Erin Brezsnyak Mullican and husband Bryan welcomed their son Simon Francis on July 1, 2014. Simon joins big sister Clare (7) and big brothers Nathan (6) and George (3). The Mullican family resides in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. Bryan currently works for Vanderbilt University and Erin is a stay-at-home mom. David Voth and his wife Stephanie are living in Richmond, Virginia, where David is attending dental school and Stephanie is a periodontist. They recently bought a home and welcomed a new Cockapoo puppy named Bowman to the family.

Rachael Deane and Gabe Walters ’03 welcomed a baby boy in July. They live and work in Washington, D.C., where Gabe is an attorney for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Rachael is an attorney at the National Fair Housing Alliance. Mario Alfaro married LeeAnn Mitchell ’07 in July 2012, and they had a beautiful little girl in 2013. LeeAnn is a teacher and Mario works in sales. They also both own and operate a growing Amway business, and have been living in Fredericksburg since graduation. Rebecca Sager married Jacob Dolan on October 9, 2014, at her parents’ house in Waynesboro, Virginia. Lauren (Romestan) Gallucci ’06 was one of her bridesmaids. The couple resides in Denver, Colorado.

Peter Kelley was recently appointed as an Assistant Director to Ernst & Young in its global headquarters in London, U.K. He manages the firm’s global media relations activities for its Global Tax, Government, Pharmaceutical, and Private Equity practices. Peter married his longtime partner Katie Payne in Canterbury, England, in July 2013. UMW alum Brendan Orsinger was a groomsman. Peter previously received his MA from the University of London in Transnational Communications (’09) and worked in the London newsrooms of NBC News and CNN. Follow Peter on Twitter at @PeterKelley_EY.

After serving as an Assistant District Attorney in San Antonio, Texas, for the past four years, Sarah Ellison has been appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas in Laredo, Texas. Maggie Parke graduated with her PhD in Film and Digital Media from Bangor University in Wales, U.K. She is working in development for Elfin Productions, lecturing at universities and at film festivals, and is a country manager for Bangor University, facilitating links between the university and schools in North and South America. She even manages UMW’s study abroad program to Wales, and has planned an Arthurian and Fantasy Literature summer school with her undergrad professor, Dr. Warren Rochelle for this summer.    

Kathleen Colduvell wed David Dimm of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in an April wedding at Adventure Aquarium in Philadelphia. Tessa Merna ’07 was in attendance. Kathleen is currently an Intensive Care Nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They reside in downtown Philadelphia.

Charlotte Naas Markivich had her third child in July with husband Alex. She works as a technical writer and lives outside of Pittsburgh. Morgan Applegate ’05 and Kelly Wolff Applegate are expecting their first child at the end of January. Frances Patton is moving to New York November 1, where her sister Ellen currently lives. Kristine Chase moved to Missouri and now works for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

Kevin M. Williams received a Master’s Degree (MA) in Acquisition and Procurement Management on May 17, 2014, from Webster University.  His spouse Renee has a new position with the Federal Government as of September 22 as an accountant with the Department of Homeland Security HQ, while pursuing her MBA at Webster University.

Clint Woods keeps on rockin’ in the free world. In August he moved from Washington, D.C., to the metropolis of Lexington, Kentucky, to become executive director of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies.

This summer Sarah Mayo Minkin married Scott Minkin of Reston, Virginia. The wedding was on June 7, 2014, and was held at the Greencroft Club in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kristen Borkoski and Ryan Fulcher (George Mason University class of ’06) of Fairfax Station, Virginia, celebrated their wedding on April 5, 2014 aboard the Cherry Blossom Riverboat in Old Town Alexandria. In attendance at the cruise reception were ’06 alumni: Emily Walsh, Jennifer Russell, Jarred Turner, and Francesca and Zack ‘Buttons’ Ward.

Nancy-Lauren Raia said “Yes!” to John C. Buechler when he popped the question on August 15, 2014. They got engaged on the beach on the North Fork of Long Island, and reside together on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. An April 4, 2015, wedding is planned. Nancy is an Associate Vice President at Rubenstein Associates, where she oversees public relations campaigns for some of NYC’s top real estate developers, brokerages and new development projects.

Barbara Eastwood (formerly known as Barbara George) is proud to announce the release of her first novel, The Dozen Lives of Erica Whitefield, an interactive adventure geared toward adult women. Jay Sinha recently joined LRH Group, LLC, where he does cybersecurity and data privacy law. He splits his time between the District, Reston and Quantico. He hopes everyone had a good time at Homecoming!

Jason and Marianne Shapiro Weiner welcomed their first child, Julie Rose, in August. Brian Dempsey and Nora Davis were married last fall on a mountain in Maine near the bride’s hometown. This celebration of lasting love from Mary Washington included beautiful bridesmaids Caroline Swicegood and Chelsea Mahoney Gates, as well as party animals Mike Demetro, Andrew Goodwin and Tessie Duncan, Evan Henry and Jessica Paquette, Pavel Leykin, Adam Turner and Alissa Bourbonaiss, and Dan and Beka Kruse Wueste. The newly married couple would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Dr. Timothy Waltonen, who paired them up for the final project of Global Issues in Literature in their freshman year. It was a really good match!

Andrea Christie Elkin and her husband Matthew Elkin ’01 just welcomed their first child. William Jacob Elkin was born October 14, 2014. Steven Grillo and Lauren Bayer ’06 bought their first home in Sayreville, New Jersey, in July. Steven is First Vice President at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, and Lauren is an Assistant Deputy Public Defender for the State of New Jersey.

Alyssa Lee started a new job in September. She is now the Annual Giving Manager at Northern Virginia Family Service. In 2013, Dan Punaro was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army National Guard and completed his MBA from San Diego State University. Evan Lee Braunstein writes that he lived in Arlington, Virginia, for five years before moving down to Athens, Georgia, and getting his MBA in Finance from the University of Georgia. He will be moving to Atlanta after graduating in the spring 2015.

Kristen L. Roscoe became engaged to Mark MacMillan ’07 on July 15. They are hoping to have their wedding in the summer of 2015. They live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and she works at Green Run High School teaching Algebra 2 and Geometry.

Brandon Shapiro and Lisa Blumfelder Shapiro ’07 celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in October 2014. In the fall 2014 semester, Brandon enrolled in and began a part-time Ph.D. program at George Mason University in Computational Social Science.

Joel Peck and Kristina Ashwell Peck welcomed their son Elijah on March 14, 2014. Christine Chapman and Colin Deyman ’09 celebrated the birth of their first baby, Acacia Cecilia, in May 2014.

Tom Roberts lives in Northern Virginia with wife Elizabeth Emmel Roberts ’11. He is in his second semester working on his master degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Tech, and is working as a legal recruiter. They are expecting their first child in the spring.

Josh Ferrari accepted a position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in administration in January, and moved back east from Berkeley California.

Andrew Cox got engaged to Ally Kight and got a new job as Senior Editor at Marlin Magazine, Bonnier Corporation.

Gina Carey married Thomas Wolfe ’10 on August 22, 2014 in Historic Savage Mill with his uncle Daniel Wolfe ’84 (who was also the commencement speaker for the 2010 graduation) as the officiate. Tom proposed in Michigan on March 7, 2014, while they were visiting his grad school friends. Their engagement pictures were taken on the UMW campus in May by Eva Richardson.

Kiernan Whitworth and Taylor Warner ’11 got engaged in September. Lauren Murrey got engaged to Brandon Nehus this summer. Nick Mundy married Laura Bowman in September. Ana Saldana Ealley and husband Alexander Ealley are expecting their first baby (a girl) at the end of November. They were married in May 2012 and still live in the area.

Brent Monseur, formerly Brent “Colin” Turner, Sc.M., is serving as the board secretary for an international nonprofit, Medical Students for Choice, which is dedicated to educating and creating tomorrow’s abortion providers and prochoice physicians. He is currently a third year medical student at MCV in Richmond, Virginia.

In summer 2014, Carly Barron studied evolution and maintenance of biodiversity and the effects of human intervention in the Amazon. Carly, an Animal Keeper at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, took the graduate course in pursuit of her master’s degree from Miami University’s Global Field Program.