Class Notes

From Kirsten St. Clair Oliphant: Kirsten St. Clair Oliphant just had her fifth baby and is living in Houston with her husband Rob. She launched the Create If Writing podcast in 2015 for writers and bloggers wanting to build an online platform. She was named one of the top 25 Social Media Power Influencers in Houston in 2016 and has spoken at events like Houston Social Media Day and BlogHer Food.

Corie Tarbet and Jordy Keith enjoyed a vacation in Rome last summer. They saw the sights, hiked Mt. Vesuvius, visited Pompeii, and ate a ton of pasta, pizza, and wine. Corie lives in Athens, GA and is a teacher, and Jordy lives in Austin, TX where she works in External Affairs and Communication for the Texas National Guard.

Sarah Osborn-Barwick and husband Jason welcomed a son, Wyatt William, little brother to Lilyanne Elizabeth, to their family in September 2016.

Kim Winslow (Kelley) and Chris Winslow enjoy being parents to Kate who just turned 4.  Kim is a Senior Audit Manager with KPMG.  Chris practices law and serves on the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors.

I have moved out of the furniture industry and into commercial real estate, where I now work in occupancy planning for Jones Lang LaSalle. I’m looking forward to a trip to Glacier National Park with Jennifer Amore and Madelyn Marino in June.

In December, Madelyn celebrated her 13 year anniversary with American Express.  She is currently a Vice President of Human Resources.  She is continuing to run half marathons in her quest to run one in every state.  In March she traveled to Dubai to meet up with Jason Lane ’03.

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From Angela Mills: Angela Mills began her two-year term as president of the University of Mary Washington Alumni Association’s Board in July 2016.  Angela encourages you to stay connected to us, get involved through alumni activities and networks, and actively promote your Mary Washington experience.

From Carolyn Murray Spencer: Karen Orwoll Goins and family relocated from Virginia to Athens, GA to pursue full-time ministry working with international evangelist, Pastor Rick Bonfim.  They are adjusting to rural life and enjoying the beautiful scenery that is Northern Georgia as well as looking forward to upcoming travel with the ministry.

Rev. Andrew Mertz and his wife are expecting their first child on February 3rd, 2017.

Christina Meluzio started her own private practice, Meluzio Psychological Services, LLC in Stafford County Virginia and is the Program Director for her Silver Linings social/coping skills groups for ages 4 to 19. Her contact information is listed below if anyone who lives in the area needs a referral.  The best way to reach her is via her work email address.

Dr. Christina Meluzio, Psy.

Silver Linings Program Director

Meluzio Psychological Services, LLC

2124 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Suite 202

Stafford, VA 22554

email: cmeluzio.mps@gmail.com

(540)300-2248 (voicemail)

(540)699-6938 (fax)

Dr. Garett Seeba currently practices Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Webster, TX at Oral Surgery Associates.  He is in the process of becoming board certified and is currently on active staff at Clearlake Regional Medical Center.  His wife Tashia practices dental hygiene in the Clearlake, TX area.  They both participate in Dachshund rescue and have placed 7 dogs into new homes over the last year.

Andy Wright and his wife, Maria Yount Wright, recently purchased a new home in Bon Air, Virginia; and they will be welcoming their first child, a son, in February 2017.   This past August, Andy started working in policy and legislative affairs for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.   Maria is an elementary school librarian for the Richmond City Schools.

Mary Schmotzer accepted a new position in healthcare marketing with Snow Companies. She and her boyfriend purchased a house in Williamsburg where they live with their 3 cats and 3 dogs.

Laura Williams has had a busy year creating a new nonprofit, Environmental Stewards Consulting, Inc. The nonprofit specializes in educating and assisting communities to fight for better cleanup of hazardous and contaminated sites around the country. To learn more, please visit www.estewards.com.

Amber Crafton started a freelance editing business in February 2016. It is called Et Al. Editing, and the website is http://etalediting.com./. Amber still lives in the St. Louis area and continues to work as a nanny. Earlier in 2016 she celebrated 10 years with Alternative Missions as the STM Coordinator for their ministry in Cofradía, Mexico.

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From Jennifer Worcester Moore: Jennifer Worcester Moore was appointed Executive Director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association in Middleburg Va., a nonprofit historical association starting January 2017.

Matt and Tricia Piccinino Kapuscinski and big sister Olivia welcomed Reese Lynn in July. Matt is an associate at the law firm of Odin, Feldman & Pittleman in Reston and Tricia is in her 10th year of teaching ESOL at Annandale High School.

Michael Hagan is in the J.D. evening program at the University of Baltimore.  Michael belongs to the class of 2020.

In 2016, Carly Woods accepted a new position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland in College Park. Previously, she was on the faculty at the University of Nebraska. Woods now lives in Maryland with her spouse and child.

Alena Callaghan married Jim Davis in October 2016 with Melissa Glennie Holt (’04) and Janet Moriarity Cartwright-Smith (’04) serving as bridesmaids. They live in Arlington, VA with two very overweight cats.

Kristen “Kiki” Skove King and her husband celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in September and their twins’ 5th birthday in December. She started back to school for her MBA in December at UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Business online. Kiki and her family are planning a move from Florida to Colorado in June 2017.

LoriAnn Maresca Solano and her husband Brendan welcomed their second child, Brayden, to the world in October.  LoriAnn continues to work as a Licensed Behavior Analyst, fitness coach, and oil enthusiast.

Katie Valentine married Mike Charnoff ’95 on Memorial Day Weekend 2016. Katie’s bridesmaids included Bevin Reinen and Katie Fry Charnoff ’00. Mike’s Best Man was Steve Charnoff ’99. The groomsmen included Jason Chipman ’95, Jim Murray ’95, and Tim Landis ’93. Mary Washington alumni wedding guests included Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68, Patti Kemp ’69, Gayle Petro ’79, Jenifer Blair ’82, Dan Hudson ’82, Colette Crabill Chipman ’94, Mark McClure ’96, Travis Russell ’96, Lee Ann Reaser ’98, Mark Thaden ’02, and Jay Sinha ’07. Mike and Katie reside in Arlington, Virginia where Katie teaches 4th grade and Mike practices civil litigation with Perry Charnoff PLLC. Mike became Immediate Past President of the Alumni Association on July 1, 2016.

Sameer Vaswani travelled to Spain with Rob Bowen ’05 this past fall, visiting Barcelona, Malaga, Seville, Granada, and the Canary islands.

From Shana A. Muhammad: 2016 was a big year for Leigh Dorris Woods, she and husband Seth purchased their first home, celebrated their one year wedding anniversary, and welcomed their first child, Charlie.

Clint Woods married Amy Arlinghaus in Lexington, KY in November. Clint’s bridal party included fellow Mary Washington alum, his sister Carly Woods ’04, Nick Franciose, and Shana Muhammad.

Caitie Eck and her husband Erik continue to build their small empire in Ft. Meyers, FL. They purchased another house and will welcome a baby in 2017.

Rebecca Christ Alwine and her husband Steven are currently living at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and welcomed their third child, Gregory Tallmadge Alwine, in May. The couple celebrates their 10th wedding anniversary this year and are planning a move to Fort Gordon in the summer of 2017.

Kirk Roberts and his wife Lauren welcomed the birth of their child Ellis on Valentine’s Day 2016. The little one is starting to toddle around the house and wife Lauren already wants another one.

Dr. Mark Safferstone, MBA ’06, Executive Director, UMW Campuses at Stafford and Dahlgren, retired in June 2016 after 19 years at UMW. He and his wife, Sharon, celebrated their 30th anniversary in November 2016 and relocated to Cape Cod, MA in December 2016.

From Sarah Eckman: After graduating, Dustin McDonald played American football professionally in Europe, explored 26 countries in Europe and South East Asia, and earned an MBA from the University of Florida.  More recently, he married Stephanie Byrne in Marseille, France.  The couple honeymooned in Corsica.

Maureen Murphy got married to Leonard Kieffer of Buffalo, New York, on August 8, 2016, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Several close friends and family were in attendance including Mary Wash classmates Suzanne Davey and Sarah Murphy. The couple now reside in Manassas, Virginia, where they just recently purchased a house.

Jennifer Parsick and longtime partner John Hill were engaged to be married on Oct 31, 2016.  They are planning a cruise wedding sometime next year.

Geraldine Zilleruelo is an MBA candidate for the Class of 2019 at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

From Elizabeth Jennings: Tom Roberts and his wife Elizabeth Emmel Roberts ’11 now live in Buena Vista, Virginia where he is having a blast as City Planner. They are expecting their second child in the spring.