Notable and Quotable

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan late last year appointed Kerwin A. Miller Sr. ’95 as district judge in Maryland’s Harford County. Before his appointment to the bench, Miller was an administrative law judge with Maryland’s Office of Administrative Hearings. He served as a prosecutor in Cecil County, Maryland, handling felony prosecutions and overseeing homicide crime scene responses. Miller’s other experience includes work as a public defender and as a Legal Aid lawyer. Miller majored in business administration at Mary Washington and earned a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. … [Read more...]

Rebecca Erbelding ’03 won a 2018 National Jewish Book Award for her nonfiction work Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe. The book, published by Penguin Random House – Doubleday, tells the story of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s effort to save Jews from the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II. Erbelding won the JDC – Herbert Katzki Award for “writing based on archival material.” Begun in 1950, the National Jewish Book Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious awards in Jewish literature. Erbelding, who majored in American studies and history at Mary Washington, is an archivist, curator, and historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. She has a Ph.D. in American history from George Mason University. … [Read more...]

Last October, Richmond’s Style Weekly named Theodore “Ted” Lewis ’04 one of its “Top 40 Under 40: Inspiring young leaders who bring Richmond to life” for Lewis’ work as executive director of Side by Side, which provides outreach for the LGBTQ community. Free therapy sessions and housing assistance are just two of the resources Lewis has delivered to Virginia youth. Before working at Side by Side, Lewis had been the first associate director of LGBTQ campus life at the University of Richmond. … [Read more...]

When Politico featured Kenny Cunningham ’12 in its “Birthday of the Day” feature last October, he was a director at Prism Group, an influential public affairs firm in Washington D.C. In October, he launched his own firm, Cunningham Communications, where he helps clients enhance and amplify their message or brand through the media. He is also executive director of the national network Maverick PAC, “an organization focused on shaping the future of the Republican Party.” Cunningham told Politico that politics is in his blood: He grew up watching his dad work on Capitol Hill as chief of staff to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. While pursuing a political science degree at UMW, the younger Cunningham interned in Grassley’s office. He worked for political campaigns before joining Maverick. … [Read more...]

Ben Cunningham ’16 is using his UMW geography major and GIS certificate to help protect land in Nelson County, Virginia, and beyond. The GIS analyst and community organizer uses drones, photos, videos, and maps to track the progress of the proposed 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline to uphold and enforce environmental regulations. The underground natural gas pipeline would go from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina. The project is under indefinite suspension due to a federal appeals court’s rescinding of key environmental permits. As Virginia field coordinator for the pipeline Compliance Surveillance Initiative (CSI) program, Cunningham takes footage and plots it in an online mapping system, or GIS. He’s also training resident volunteers to use the tools to monitor and report pipeline progress and compliance. Cunningham began the work while at UMW as an intern with the environmental group Alleghany- Blue Ridge Alliance, which sponsors the CSI. … [Read more...]

Ultimate Frisbee athletes with Mary Washington connections made a great showing at last fall’s Ultimate Frisbee Club National Championships in San Diego, California. Jenny Fey ’07; Kyle Khalifa ’15; Christine Valvo ’15, M.S. ’16; and Zachary Norrbom ’17, M.Ed. ’18 competed as part of the mixed-gender team Space Heater Ultimate, which placed third in the national competition. Austin Bartenstein ’11 and Joseph Richards ’19 competed with the men’s team Washington DC Truck Stop, which placed fifth. … [Read more...]

Actor Eric Chayefsky ’12 opened on Broadway in Network, starring Bryan Cranston, in December 2018. The critically acclaimed adaptation, which runs through June 8 at the Belasco Theatre, is based on the iconic 1976 film written by Paddy Chayefsky, Eric’s great-uncle. Eric Chayefsky plays “ELA member.” After graduating with a theater degree, Chayefsky pursued acting in his hometown, New York City. He played Cornwall in an off-off-Broadway production of King Lear, and he’s been part of multiple productions at the American Theatre of Actors. Most recently, he played the lead in a short film that won Best Ensemble Cast at the 2018 DC 48Hour Film Project. … [Read more...]

Wasn’t that Thomas Adrian Simpson ’81 in Anything Goes at D.C.’s Arena Stage? Indeed, fans who joined UMW Theatre on an excursion in December saw the 30-year acting veteran return to Arena. The D.C.-stage regular counts among his credits Sweeney Todd at The Olney Theatre Center, Crazy for You! and Jesus Christ Superstar at Signature Theatre, Chess at the Kennedy Center, and performances at Ford’s Theatre and The Shakespeare Theatre. Simpson’s TV credits include House of Cards and America’s Most Wanted. After graduating with a degree in math and physics from Mary Washington, Simpson studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. … [Read more...]