Happy 2024, all! My work as a French and Spanish teacher at Monticello High School continues apace as I write. I’m sorry not to have gotten out an email to request your news; please consider this an invitation until I write to ask for updates for the May issue! Some of our classmates have engaged in some newsworthy activity recently. Find links to learn more about these classmates in the online edition.
Matt Brandon ’92, CEO of the W&M Alumni Association, said in the spring 2023 W&M Alumni Magazine, “What I consider my calling is to provide a safe space for all alumni and their families to fully engage in our university’s community. I will be successful in this role if I can earn your trust so that you feel you belong in the William & Mary Alumni Association, that your voice is heard, that we are working for you.”
Bart Shepherd ’92 kept increasingly larger aquariums in his dorm room and later in the Sigma Nu fraternity house at William & Mary. Now, those aquariums are small in comparison to the panoramic fish tunnel at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, where Shepherd serves as director. During W&M Weekend, Shepherd hosted a panel discussion with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Institute for Integrative Conservation on conservation, showed off the underwater magic with behind-the-scenes tours and connected those in attendance with the important research sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences. Read more about him in the spring W&M Alumni Magazine.
Kent Fortner ’92 is known for his adventurous spirit — when he was a student, he and his friends built a raft and floated down the Chickahominy River. His latest adventure is his brewery, Mare Island Brewing Co., just outside of Vallejo, California, where he led a tour and tasting for alumni and friends as part of W&M Weekend in San Francisco in June 2023.
Bill Kearney Jr. ’92, J.D. ’96 joined Stinson LLP in Washington, D.C., as of counsel in the corporate finance practice division. Bill counsels domestic and international clients on pre-merger notification compliance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. He regularly represents multinational corporations, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds, mutual funds and investment advisors in financial and strategic acquisitions of all types.
Tara Smith Thomas won a seventh term as treasurer of Gloucester County, Virginia. She has served the citizens of Gloucester for 23 years.
Peter Kraft was appointed head of school at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida, this past summer. He has been a teacher and administrator at various schools for 25 years.
Dr. David Limbrick Jr. joined Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond as the chair of the department of neurosurgery this past summer. He is an expert on pediatric brain tumors and malformations of the brain.
Andy Corea received the Trailblazer Award at the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut Annual Awards Dinner in September.
Congratulations to all of you! Have a pleasant winter and spring, everyone.