Class of 2000

Sunny Waite Blanco was recognized for her accomplishments at United Bank. During her 18 years with United, she managed several Northern Virginia bank locations before transitioning to a commercial services role.

As part of the Ampersand International Arts Festival, Milan Chakraborty moderated discussions with Oscar-winner Cord Jefferson ’04 and Joe Pirro ’08, and Sara Schaefer gave a comedy presentation, “Going Up,” examining what it means to be a creative person on today’s stage.

Additionally, two films executive produced by Milan premiered recently: “Black Barbie” world premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2023 and subsequently premiered on Netflix, and “McVeigh” world premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Milan was elected to the W&M Alumni Association Board of Directors and notes that he looks forward to connecting with fellow alumni.

As part of W&M’s annual Professional Development Week, Erin Ewart of Careers for Social Impact and Kristen Vaughan of Accenture Federal Services were among the alumni who shared valuable insights from their careers. Erin’s career tip: There is only one version of you. Find your unique strengths and channel them. Kristen’s advice: Invest time in your team. The returns will be priceless.

Emily Ferguson joined the international brokerage firm Engel & Völkers in the fall of 2023. She loves that her role selling real estate in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado, gives her a fun reason to reconnect with friends, former classmates and past coworkers all over the country. She appreciates W&M as she has leveraged several of its resources to network with alumni from several different generations and even a few foreign countries. She plans to nurture these old and new relationships as she helps her clients realize their dreams of homeownership in the mountains.

Omiyemi (Artisia) Green, professor of theatre and Africana studies, gave a Tack Faculty Lecture titled “A History of African American Theatre and Black Theater at William & Mary.”

Inspired by their own transformative experiences when studying abroad while students at William & Mary, Anne Rivers Gunton and Dave Gunton ’99 have supported the Concord Traveling Scholarship for Creative Writers, which enables students to travel around the world and write about their experiences.

Carter Higgins celebrated the back-to-school season with her 11th book for children, “Round and Round the Year We Go,” published by Holiday House/Neal Porter Books. She also recently visited the W&M School of Education’s Joy of Literacy and Literature Conference as the opening keynote speaker.

On a personal note, I will be handing over class reporter duties to a wonderful Class of 2000 couple, Kelly Scanlon and Mike Anderson, who will use the same email address at the top of this column. Thanks for volunteering, Kelly and Mike!

Be sure to check out Kevin Byrne competing on “Squid Game: The Challenge” on Netflix. When he’s not competing on reality TV, Kevin is a senior vice president of analytics at an advertising agency and has a side hustle of making creative projects, including Halloween decorations, parade floats and photo backdrops. Kevin noted, “I pursue unique and interesting adventures (lived for a month in a science museum, worked as a ‘tube talker’ at Blue Man Group, competed on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and now ‘Squid Game’) to push myself to continue to grow and have fun. I think that exemplifies the William & Mary spirit and the fact that strong liberal arts education can prepare you for anything.”

Stunned and heartbroken by the sudden passing of their friend Adrienne Vaughan, six alumnae, including Erin Dillon, Jennifer Smith, Christina Colabella Wilds, Stephanie Haberman Bordas ’01, Ashley Glacel ’02 and Anne Desmond Warden ’02, collaborated with Vaughan’s widower and fellow William & Mary alumnus, Mike White, to find a way to honor her life. They established the Adrienne Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Endowment, which will provide need-based support for Virginia students from South Hampton Roads, including her hometown of Portsmouth. The founders of the endowment noted that Adrienne was proud of where she came from and of where William & Mary took her. Part of Adrienne’s far-reaching legacy will be helping students from southeastern Virginia access all William & Mary has to offer and use it as a launching pad of their own.

An invitation to the Alumni Career Design Fellowship came along at just the right time for Tunisia Riley. The program, which is based on peer support, empowered Riley to step into a new role as a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist after a decade in communications. Read more in the fall 2023 issue of the W&M Alumni Magazine.

Since July 2023, Tom Yehl has served as the priest chaplain for the Catholic Campus Ministry at Virginia Tech. 

Dave Barak moved to Washington, D.C., where he lives with his partner, Jim. They recently celebrated their fifth anniversary. Dave works in public affairs for the National Park Service and hosts their podcast, “My Park Story.”

After 14 years working for the National Park Service in Yosemite National Park, California, Brendan Bonner moved back to Virginia to follow his wife’s new position with the State Department. Brendan is now the chief ranger of Prince William Forest Park. Brendan invites everyone to “bring your hiking shoes and come say hi.”

Jennifer Carino was honored by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) for Women’s History Month. This year’s theme was “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Jennifer’s family story celebrates strong women making a difference for future generations.

Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz has added Camilla Chan (shown below) as a partner in the firm’s litigation group, where she will handle a wide range of commercial, entertainment and intellectual property litigation matters. Camilla has been recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers as a “rising star” by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a minority leader of influence, and by the Los Angeles Times as a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion. She serves as a member of the board of governors of the Century City Bar Association and partnered with Communities in Schools Los Angeles to create a mentorship program that connects high school students from historically marginalized communities with mentors in the legal profession.

Eric Chen and his boys spent a great week at the Outer Banks, North Carolina, with Karen Chin Repsher ’03 and her family. He was glad to help celebrate the high school graduation of Anna Crane and Brian Walker’s oldest son before he starts college in Amsterdam this fall; Matt Inman and Jennifer Wilkes Inman ’00, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’07 were also able to attend. He was excited to catch up with Marissa Guillen ’01, too.

Suzanne “Suzy” Christopher is the director and co-founder of MySpectrum Counseling and Coaching, which ranked No. 244 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in 2023. MySpectrum ranked No. 1 in Richmond, Virginia.

Mary Simonson Heffernan is celebrating 10 years as a rancher at Five Marys Farms.

Evelyn Vanderhorst Lee has been promoted to a regional president of Truist, overseeing the greater Washington and Maryland region.

At the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut annual awards dinner on Sept. 13, 2023, Amandeep Sidhu (below, right) received the Distinguished Legal Professional of the Year award and delivered the keynote address.

Jayson Traxler was appointed as chief executive officer at Stax, a Boston-headquartered mergers and acquisitions strategy consulting firm. Jayson joined Stax in 2021 as chief operating officer and was named president the following year.

Chris Donald and Rebecca Rigel Donald welcomed their second child, another daughter, Carter Ruth, on March 11.

Jack Gary is serving as director of archaeology for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which is overseeing the excavation of the former site of First Baptist Church on Nassau Street in Colonial Williamsburg. The project has the potential to provide new insights into the lives of Black residents of Williamsburg in the 1700s.

Linnea Grim has been appointed as the president and CEO of the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Jen Psaki launched a new MSNBC show in March 2023, “Inside With Jen Psaki.”

Five former William & Mary Women’s Gymnastics team members —  Michelle Bolter Avery ’98, Megan Hess Powers ’02, Alison Tyler Spivey ’93, Kiya Winston Tomlin ’96 and Christina Colabella Wilds — came together to create the Thrive Endowment, the first endowment to support the W&M Varsity Women’s Gymnastics program.

The William & Mary Foundation announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees, including Hilary Grant Dixon.

Sarah Shallcross Fox and her husband, Brett, welcomed their third and fourth kids to the world in June 2022 — identical twin boys! Sarah reports that Remi and Zane already love wrestling with each other on the floor and snuggling with their adoring older siblings. Two months after the boys arrived, Kelly Kaufman Sjol and Liz Hemming Johnson visited with their daughters for a week to give Sarah some much needed help.

Evelyn Vanderhorst Lee, Truist Financial Corp.’s regional president for the greater Washington region, was named to the 2022 Virginia Business Power List.

Jennifer Farris Szakaly was one of the 2022 Top Dentists featured in Coastal Virginia magazine.

Jayson Traxler has been promoted to president of Stax, a Boston-headquartered global strategy consulting firm. Traxler joined Stax in 2021 as managing director and chief operating officer.

Eric Chen became co-chair of the Family Medicine Department at UNC Health Blue Ridge in Morganton, North Carolina, and will resume committee work with the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians in January. Over the summer, Eric and his boys spent a relaxing week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Karen Chin Repsher ’03 and her family.

Leanne P. Clement is the new general director of the Charlottesville Opera in Virginia. She and her team opened the new season with “The Sound of Music.” It was the first show featuring the full 127-member opera company since the pandemic began.

Gerson Florez shared that his family “exploded” in recent years. In November 2021, his family adopted their 5-year-old daughter from Bogotá, Colombia. Then, in March 2022, their second son was born, joining their daughter and their 9-year-old son. Gerson and his family moved to Florida, where he joined Cleveland Clinic Florida and continues his practice in orthopedic care, treating shoulders, elbows and hands.

For Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who helped lead a January 6 committee hearing, the attack on the U.S. Capitol echoed her family’s experience fleeing Vietnam. Stephanie was featured in a Time magazine article published July 11.

Work by Milan Chakraborty, Truman Ruberti ’20 and Zachary Keifer ’07 was center stage at the expanded Ampersand International Arts Festival (formerly W&M Global Film Festival), an in-person and online event with movie screenings, music, theater, dance and an industry summit.

Kudos to Cheri Mae-Boschulte Green, the senior vice president of private banking at Old Point National Bank, on joining Williamsburg Health Foundation’s board of trustees! The foundation is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those living in Greater Williamsburg. 

Congratulations to Anne Boro Fox and Don Fox, who celebrated their 20-year wedding anniversary on July 12!

Mary Simonson Heffernan released her second cookbook in September. Following her best-selling first cookbook, “Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook,” the second book is titled “Five Marys Family Style” and features seasonal and menu-based recipes inspired by her life on the family cattle ranch in far Northern California. Mary, her husband and their four daughters (all named Mary!) share their all-natural beef, pork and lamb with families all over the U.S. Read more about them in the winter 2018 issue.

Mindy Mackereth Maris was named dean of academic programs at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) at the National Institutes of Health. Since joining FAES, Mindy has revised FAES curricula to meet the evolving needs of the biomedical research community, led the development of evidence-based teaching and learning initiatives, and established partnerships with universities to provide students with access to cutting-edge science.

Enger Allen Muteteke’s daughter graduated from high school and began college at West Point Military Academy. Enger wrote, “We are all so proud of her.” Enger was ordained a full elder in the Baltimore Washington Conference in the DMV. Until recently, Enger was director of resourcing with the Greater New Jersey Conference of the United Methodist Church. Over the summer, Enger started a new position with the General Commission on Religion and Race as their senior director of education and program strategies. She and her family were excited to move back to the Washington, D.C., area. 

The inaugural W&M Asian Centennial Awards honored influential alumni, including five alumni whose work for diversity, equity and justice has had a lasting impact: Michael Chu J.D. ’92, Pallavi Rudraraju ’17, Amandeep Sidhu, Yiqing “Pocket” Sun ’13, and David Uy ’93, M.B.A. ’96. Amandeep was recognized for his work as a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP and co-founder of and pro bono counsel to The Sikh Coalition, the largest civil rights advocacy organization in the U.S. dedicated to protecting the rights of Sikhs and other vulnerable communities. In particular, Aman was commended for his lead role in an over 13-year advocacy effort to end religious discrimination against Sikhs in the U.S. military. Other winners included Judith Chaisiri Lee J.D. ’87 and Veronica Salcedo ’02, former student leaders of the group Focus on Asian Cultures Emerging in Society (FACES).

Erika Moritsugu ’94, Rita Sampson ’89, Doug Bunch ’02, J.D. ’06, Nina Cavazos ’13, Amandeep Sidhu, Maegan Crews Fallen ’12, Clem Cheng ’86, Christa Hokenson ’93, Holly Russel Tyson ’93 and Latoya Asia J.D. ’09 all participated in W&M Professionals Week in February as panelists. See more at wmalumni.com/professionalsweek.

Amanda Engstrom Eversole, executive vice president and chief operating officer at the American Petroleum Institute, was featured in an article published on the Community Energy Center website in which she discussed her commitment to create opportunities for women and people of color in the natural gas and oil industry.

Carter Higgins recently authored two books. In “Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish,” readers meet two girls with the same name but little else in common. Over the course of a week, the two Audreys learn lessons about differences, acceptance and friendship. In “Circle Under Berry,” young readers learn through the comparison of colors, shapes and objects that things are never as simple as they seem.

Evelyn Vanderhorst Lee was featured in an article in the Washington Business Journal in which she discussed her career in banking. Currently, she is the regional president for the greater Washington region for Truist Financial Corp.

Thiri Thant Mon shared that after almost 20 years of living in the United States and the United Kingdom, she moved back home to Myanmar (also called Burma) in 2013. Unfortunately, the country fell into a military coup, so she and her family moved back to London, their second home. Thiri wrote, “Please look me up if you are on this side of the pond!”

Latoya Asia J.D. ’09, director of talent acquisition and workforce planning at Dominion Energy; Debbie McDade Ratliff, senior director of talent engagement for University Advancement at William & Mary; and Kristen O'Neal Vaughan, managing director of human capital practice at Accenture Federal Services; discussed the future of the Virginia workforce in a webinar moderated by Alexis Eatman Swann M.B.A. ’93, president of Virginia Peninsula/Williamsburg at TowneBank.

In 2020, Dave Barak accepted a new job in a new city, mere weeks before national lockdown orders. He is a National Park ranger and the public information officer for Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Lafayette, Louisiana. In addition to his professional endeavors, Dave has made a romantic commitment to his partner Jim, whom he met during a Key West vacation in 2018. 

In her capacity as manager of interpretive programs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, Jennifer Joyce ’11 was invited to speak about the seven William & Mary alumni, including Alysia Christine Burton Basmajian, who perished on 9/11 and whose names are inscribed at the memorial in permanent remembrance.

Caroline Borden is an English Language Learner teacher with Middlesex County Public Schools.

“Pizza Head,” the 7-square-foot Jimi Hendrix portrait made of Chanello’s pizza boxes by Michael Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Leahy, was added to the collections of the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle. After William & Mary, Fitzpatrick joined the military and now works in finance as the vice president of business operations for Vector Remote Care. Leahy continued to pursue the arts, working on the music for all six seasons of the HBO show “Girls,” for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy, and the movie “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” which earned him a Grammy nomination. Another alum, Katherine Hughes ’05, works at MoPOP as a registrar, caring for and maintaining the museum’s collection, including “Pizza Head.”

Jack Gary, director of archaeology for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, gave a presentation for the Kiwanis Club of Colonial Capital, in which he highlighted the three main areas being excavated in Colonial Williamsburg.

In January, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf appointed Liz Gerloff Wagenseller to serve a six-year term as the executive director of the Office of Open Records. The OOR is an independent, quasi-judicial agency that hears and rules on appeals submitted by an individual whose request for public records is denied. Liz is greatly enjoying working to increase transparency and accountability in all levels of Pennsylvania government.  

Mike Leach was named the assistant men’s golf coach at William & Mary. Mike was a two-time All-American tight end on the W&M football team and a 2011 inductee into the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame. He enjoyed a 16-year NFL career prior to his retirement back to Williamsburg in 2016 with his wife, Julie Sommer Leach ’99, and their two children, Ryan and Madeline.

Stephanie Dang Murphy became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress after ousting a Republican 24-year incumbent for the congressional seat in Orlando, Florida.

A feature in the Spring 2021 issue of the alumni magazine, as well as one in Vogue, provided insight into the day-to-day of Jen Psaki in her capacity as White House press secretary and how her time at William & Mary helped prepared her for that role.

John Cole Scott celebrated 20 years at the investment firm CEF Advisors, where he serves as chief investment officer. He recently set up a nonprofit trade association, the Active Investment Company Alliance, and he helped organize two full-day events and a weekly podcast, the NAVigator. He is in his fourth year serving on the WMAA Board of Directors, splitting time between the I-CARE (inclusion, chapter, affinity and regional engagement) and Finance & Investment committees. He has been staying busing working from home since March 2020 and has enjoyed spending more time with his daughter, Lexi.

Amid all the challenges of the pandemic (including her husband, Hunter Keeton, working from home and their two children in hybrid learning), Jessica Lévai’s first book is getting published. The book is titled “The Night Library of Sternendach,” and it is a vampire story written almost entirely in Pushkin sonnets.

Judy Fontana Minkoff reported that her professional New York-based a cappella group Stiletta released a music video with a message of hope for the world. The song is a cover of Adele’s “Remedy.” The song was originally written as a love song from a mother to her child, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lyrics have taken on a new meaning. Stiletta's perspective is from the eyes of those who have lost their livelihoods in the entertainment industry, but they believe the positive message in this song can be felt by everyone. You can see their video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NPFkqa4SpgUB.

Eric Chen relocated to Morganton, North Carolina, to start a new job with Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge.

Thiri Thant Mon wrote that freshman dormmates of Monroe Third and their extended circle of Class of ’00 friends have managed to keep in touch over the years, many traveling yearly back to the ’Burg for Homecoming. Last year, given the cancellation of in-person Homecoming celebrations, they connected over Zoom drinks, which was great for Thiri, who is currently based in Myanmar, and Carly Strausberg, who is currently based in New Zealand. Thiri continued, “We are a little older, but in many ways still the same kids who met 24 years ago!”

Megan Dowdell Nabb moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and daughters. She is so happy to be back on the East Coast after 18 years in the Midwest. 

Jen Psaki was named White House press secretary by President Joe Biden. She previously served as White House communications director from 2015 to 2017. In her role as White House press secretary, she is one of seven women serving in top communications roles for the Biden administration. This is the first time that all such positions have been held by women. (See story on page 24.) 

Kristin-Yvonne Roberts Rozier ’00, M.S. ’01 was named a recipient of a Black and Veatch Building a World of Difference Fellowship, one of engineering’s most prestigious honors. She is one of only two Iowa State University researchers to be named in the most recent awarding period. Kristin-Yvonne’s Laboratory for Temporal Logic focuses on advanced automated reasoning techniques — algorithms and tools that filter what people want versus what people don’t want. The undergraduate population in her lab historically has been 50% female, with a disproportionate number of students from underrepresented groups, including racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

When Sara Schaefer turned 40, she celebrated by taking family members on one-on-one trips. Sara’s book, “Grand: A Memoir,” was inspired by the last trip, a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with her sister. In this memoir, as Sara confronts one of her biggest fears, she reflects on the challenges her family faced and the death of her mother. 

Milan Chakraborty executive produced a horror film, “The Dark and the Wicked,” which debuted on Nov. 6, 2020. The film was supposed to have its world premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Milan also reported that Jonathan Leahy was the music supervisor for “Bill and Ted Face the Music.” Jon and Milan were roommates during their junior year and previously collaborated on the 2017 film, “My Friend Dahmer,” for which Milan was a producer and Jon was the music supervisor.

Christopher Donald was appointed university chaplain and director of religious life at Vanderbilt University in June 2019. Chris wrote, “It has been a strange year for sure, because I was just finding my feet when the university sent all of the students home because of the pandemic. And, after a year of getting to know Nashville, we found a neighborhood we love, and we’re settling into a home with plenty of room to receive friends and classmates!”

Peter Graham is an associate professor of chemistry at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his wife, Emily Browning, was the coordinator of the Palliative Care Program at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia for 11 years. Emily recently left her position so that she and Peter can live in Seoul, South Korea, for Peter’s academic sabbatical year. 

Annie Heckel shared that she left higher education, where she had been an assistant professor of English, and switched careers. She is working for Online ADA, a small company in Eugene, Oregon, that provides digital accessibility compliance services. Annie wrote, “It’s been a big change, but in a really good way (especially having weekends actually off, which wasn’t the case in my teaching job)!”

Mary Heffernan’s cookbook, “Ranch Raised Cookbook: Homegrown Recipes from Our Family to Yours,” was published by Penguin Random House on Sept. 8, 2020. Mary wrote, “It’s been a two-year process to write and photograph the book, and I’m thrilled to finally be putting it out there in the world!”

In December 2018, Stephanie Sakai Hernley and Joel Hernley ’99 moved to Boerne, Texas. Joel is the lead helicopter pilot for Air Methods out of their San Antonio base at University Hospital, while working on his M.B.A. and M.S. in Strategic Management from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Stephanie works as a physical therapist in outpatient and acute settings. In May 2020, Stephanie and Joel welcomed Lyla Jean to their family. Lexi (age 7) is enjoying her big sister status!

Jill Anderson Mick married Jonathan Mick on July 11, 2020. They had a small, socially distanced wedding attended by a handful of family and friends including Sarah Shallcross Fox, Alexandra Vogel Spitzer ’00, M.A.Ed. ’01 and Mike Spitzer ’01. Jill is in her 14th year of teaching ESL at Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her husband have a cooking blog and enjoy working on the blog together and taking on new and creative cooking projects.  

Samantha Rodearmel Montgomery is living in southern Arizona with her husband Neil, two kids, and their menagerie of pets (three dogs, two cats and a snake). Her oldest, Ananda, will be graduating from high school this year, and her youngest, Ben, is learning how to drive. Samantha spends time writing and editing fiction, is preparing for a harp recital and recently began working as a local outdoor fitness instructor.  

Liz Oxhorn gave birth to a daughter, Georgia Elodie Oxhorn, in December 2019, and is a Democratic political consultant living in Washington, D.C. 

R.J. Reibel wrote to note that “having our 20-year reunion cancelled is the most GenX thing ever.” 

Tunisia Riley wrote, “Greetings to all of my Class of 2000 grads! What a year but despite all that’s going on I’ve seen love and resiliency in the face of challenges. Happy to report that I’ve been keeping in touch with my 2000 pals in every avenue possible including text, calls, Zoom and socially distanced meetings. Andrea Seiffertt and I have been pen pals since before quarantine, and we’ve been keeping it up more consistently with monthly handwritten letters going back and forth between California and New York. She’s doing great work in California in the medical field. Please keep her, all of our frontline workers, in prayer. I met with another frontline worker and friend, Kim Bylander ’99, for a socially distanced trip to Storm King, an outdoor art installation in upstate New York. I meet with my Barrett Hall girls, including Mariko Chambers Semetko, Rebeccah Fleming and Mary Kirby, for a monthly Zoom call, and we cover four different time zones with our Zoom meetings. Lastly, I did a virtual movie night with my Dawson Hall crew of Curtis Spriggs and Mike Reiter. Since we can’t be together for Homecoming, just trying to keep the love going. 

Tunisia also reported that she caught up Dameon Muhammad over the phone on his birthday and took a socially distanced walk with Ashley Mizell-Edey Davis ’03, both of whom are doing well and trying to keep the children educated during this unusual school year. Lastly, Tunisia and Gina Angelletta Cristallo are colleagues and shared their Tribe Pride for Tribe Professional Day.

Karen Gruber Shepherd was named the director of government affairs, advancement, and community at The Washington Ballet, the ballet of the nation's capital. In this role, Karen leads the government, foundation and corporate fundraising initiatives for The Washington Ballet in addition to providing strategic oversight and operating plans for community impact programming. Karen began her first term as a board member for the William & Mary Libraries in July 2020 and looks forward to giving back to the W&M community.

While social distancing has been challenging, it has also presented opportunities to connect with members of the Tribe in unique ways. Mary Lewis Curry, Becka Herbig, Rachel Boyd Potter ’99, M.A.Ed. ’00 and I spent a fun evening playing virtual William & Mary trivia! Our team name was the Crim Dell-egates, and we finished in a very respectable position in the middle of the field of 30-plus teams. Mary logged in from New Zealand! Mara Pressman Surridge ’98joined our team in spirit, as some technical difficulties prevented her from joining us virtually. I also enjoyed connecting with Melanie Kreeger Bagshaw ’99 to engage in a science question-and-answer session via Zoom with her fourth-graders. Additionally, I am grateful to Rachel, Katie Heim, Cara Spallone Martin ’99, Alison Moye ’99, Laura Goglas Robinette ’02, Ellen Moncure Wong ’99, Joe Wong ’99 and Kary Torres Yates ’01, who came together to give a virtual Tribe welcome to a member of the Class of 2024.

Mike Leach joined the Howard Hanna real estate team in Williamsburg. 

Erin McGough was interviewed by the Duxbury (Mass.) Clipper in her capacity as executive director of the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, a position she has held since 2014.

Kathy Newberry qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, held in Atlanta on Feb. 29, by running 2:43:55 at the 2019 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

Ormonde Landry Payne joined the Adelman Law Firm in Memphis, Tennessee, as a senior associate.

April Vasser Williams and Greg Williams shared the very exciting news that their daughter, Autumn, will enter William & Mary as a member of the Class of 2024!

Megan Dowdell Nabb joined Aetna as a senior actuarial consultant in September, working on the Medicare Part D pricing team. Her group is headquartered in Connecticut, but she lives in Wisconsin so she’s working from home. Megan writes, “I've really enjoyed returning to actuarial work — and not having to commute in the snow! Keith and the girls are doing well.”

Emily Lowry Millhiser ’00 is the director of development operations for CARITAS, a homelessness and addiction recovery services provider in Richmond, Virginia. Emily serves on the board of the nonprofit, Project Yoga Richmond, and traveled to Bali for a yoga retreat in fall 2019. She and her husband Neil live in the Museum District with their two dogs.

Conor Sipe ’00, M.A. ’03, assistant professor of biology at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, led a discussion following a screening of the film “Concussion.”

Marriages

• Gregory Ryan Hildebrand to Ashley Kathryn Puscas, 10/05/19.

Cheryl Griffin is in her sixth year of serving as pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Williamsburg. She also is a campus pastor for the Lutheran Student Association at William & Mary.

Drew Gibbons, Adam Happel and Ti Hays went on a backpacking trip through eastern Oregon, covering almost 30 miles along the Snake River over three days and hiking the deepest canyon in the United States. Adam wrote, “I’m not sure there's a better way to reconnect with old friends than spending 72 hours without a shower and stuffed into tents reminiscing about our college days.” 

In May 2019, Jessica Muskey and Craig Carey ’02 were married. They held their rehearsal dinner at College Delly, got married in the Wren Courtyard (officiated by Milan Chakraborty), and had their reception at the Virginia Beer Company. Alumni in attendance included Anthony Basmajian, Carrie Evans Branon, Scott Burns ’02, Sean Conway ’03, Amanda Engstrom Eversol, Alex Garza, Brooks Haselden ’01, Yuri Horwitz ’01, Nate Jutras ’01, Mary Ranone King, Ryan Kutscher ’02, Matt Malone ’03, Maggie Pollock Morse, Elizabeth Neilsen, Amy Pugno Norris, Kelly Worland Piantedosi ’00, M.Ed. ’04, Trisha Ripley, Andy Ross ’02, Chris Schwalm ’01, Amy Stisser, Amy Vecsi, Anshuman Vohra and Chris Wilber ’03. Also in attendance were Julie Sommer Leach ’99, Mike Leach, Laurie Awesome, Tara Guelig Horwitz ’03, Hunter Barden ’03, Brendan Harris ’02, Katie Basmajian ’05, Jesse Contario ’05, Birdie Kylee Hall ’01, Bob Johnston ’70, M.Ed. ’78, Marie Jacobson Johnston ’78, Chris Sessa M.B.A. ’13, Sara Solfanelli ’99, Chris Smith ’07, Robby Willey ’05, Millie West and Peel Hawthorne. 

Enger Muteteke is pastor at Lifegate Church in Somers Point, New Jersey, and Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Northfield, New Jersey.

Andrea Seiffertt published her book “10 Things I Wish I'd Learned in Medical School.” She wrote that she is grateful to our classmates Anna Crane, Tunisia Riley and Brian Walker for encouraging her along the way.

Marriages

Kathryn Mcquilkin Flinn to Kevin Raymond Hippley, 6/28/19.

Jessica Muskey to Craig Carey ’02, 5/18/19.

For five and a half years, Dave Barak worked at the Student Conservation Association, a service nonprofit specializing in the conservation of natural, historic and cultural resources. This summer, he returned to the National Park Service as a Park Ranger at Timpanogos Cave National Monument outside Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Fox family has experienced lots of professional success —Don Fox was promoted to associate professor, with tenure, of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University Medical Center. Anne Boro Fox was promoted to associate university counsel at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Congratulations, Don and Anne!

Sarah Shallcross Fox and her husband Brett welcomed a beautiful daughter in April. Emma Rachel is doing well and is beloved by her 3-year-old brother Soren. 

Carter Higgins wrote “Bikes for Sale,” an illustrated children’s book that shows what happens when coincidence, in the form of a lemon peel and a branch, introduces two bicycle-riding strangers and turns them into friends.

Births

To Christopher Ross Donald ’00 and Rebecca Lynne Rigel, a daughter, Wesley Grace, 7/01/2018.

To Sarah Shallcross Fox ’00 and Brett Alan Fox, a daughter, Emma Rachel, 4/2019.

To Douglas Brent McQuaid ’00 and Marion Petersen McQuaid ’00, a son, Patrick, 4/22/2018.

To Judith Marie Fontana Minkoff ’00 and Jonathan Minkoff, a daughter, Aria Delphine, 11/19/2018.

To James Riley Sever Jr. ’01 and Megan Rudolph Sever ’00 a daughter, Sidney Jillian, 3/2018.

In October 2018, Leanne Pettit Clement made her Carnegie Hall debut as the title role in the opera “Rosanna.” Leanne currently serves as the general director of Opera Louisiane in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a position that she has held since 2011.

In May 2018, Christopher Donald graduated from Vanderbilt University with an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration and Policy. On July 1, Christopher’s wife Rebecca gave birth to their daughter Wesley Grace. Christopher writes, “We are enjoying parenthood, and we’re thankful for well wishes from our William & Mary friends, especially Christina Cox, who sent Tribe gear just in time for the Virginia Tech–William & Mary football game.”

Andrea Rosenberg McKellar ’00 has been working for the last five years as ministry developer of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina. At last summer’s General Convention, she was elected to serve a six-year year term on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church. Andrea writes, “I love living in Charleston, South Carolina, with my husband Mark and two kids (ages 9 and 7). I keep up with our local alumni group. Would love to see classmates if they come to visit!”

Beth and Brent McQuaid welcomed their third child Patrick McQuaid on April 22, 2018. Patrick is the baby brother of Jackson (age 11) and Mari (age 9). Brent is a pulmonary and critical care physician in Greensboro, North Carolina. Beth mentioned that it is a family tradition to take their kids back to Williamsburg every year to visit Busch Gardens and tour the campus.  

Judy Fontana Minkoff and her husband Jonathan are happy to announce the birth of their daughter Aria Delphine. Aria was born on Nov. 19, 2018, at New York Presbyterian Hospital — an early Thanksgiving gift. Judy, Jonathan, big brother Apollo and Aria spent the holidays getting used to being a family of four.

Megan Rudolph Sever celebrated her 40th birthday last year by heading to Las Vegas with her Alpha Chi Omega family, Sarah Modrak and Jessica Reeder. In March 2018, Megan and her husband Jim Sever ’01 welcomed their daughter Sidney Jillian to the family. Jim celebrated his 40th birthday by heading to Las Vegas and Los Angeles with William & Mary alumnus Joe Zapf ’01 and his family. Jim and Megan and their two kids continue to live in Portland, Oregon, where Megan is the editor of EARTH Magazine and Jim is a comptroller at Intel. 

Christopher Donald and wife Rebecca welcomed a daughter, Wesley Grace, on July 1, 2018.

Beth and Brent McQuaid welcomed their third child, Patrick McQuaid, on April 22, 2018.

Judy Fontana Minkoff and her husband Jonathan welcomed a daughter, Aria Delphine, on November 19, 2018.

Megan Rudolph Sever and her husband Jim Sever ’01 welcomed a daughter, Sidney Jillian, in March 2018.

Milan Chakraborty produced a film, “Assassination Nation,” directed by Sam Levinson and starring Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra, Bella Thorne, Bill Skarsgard, and Joel McHale. The film was a hit at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released nationwide on Sept. 21.

Julie Cullifer founded the One Child Center for Autism in Williamsburg, which provides accessible and affordable services for children with autism. Since its founding five years ago, the One Child Center has served hundreds of children across Hampton Roads.

On July 8, 2018, Pitou Devgon married Ludovica Cesareo of Rome, Italy, at the Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino. In attendance were Heather Faltin, Pravien Khanna, Dave Leichtman (groomsman), Brian Weaver and Jessica Rascher Weaver, and Linton Wells and Gina King Wells.

Shanah Kendall shared that she continues to be a full-time mom and home educator in New York City. She added, “My family is well, thank goodness.”

Christina Nelson Land is a pediatrician and works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado, on vector-borne diseases and bioterrorism preparedness. She also volunteers as a physician and Spanish interpreter at a local clinic. She spent the summer training for her third triathlon! Christina and her husband have two boys, and they love enjoying the Colorado outdoors, especially skiing and hiking. Christina adds, “The beer ain't bad here either.”

Judy Fontana Minkoff writes, “My a cappella group, Stiletta, has been making waves again. We released our very first EP this year, and I’m proud to announce that it was reviewed with a perfect five-star rating by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board. I’ve been enjoying my time off from work to be with my family. I still do a little scientific editing and consulting from time to time with my former boss from Weill Cornell Medical College to keep myself in the game, and I look forward to one day returning to the workforce.”

Carrie Moore O’Keeffe was honored as one of the 20 best athletes to come out of Roanoke Valley in the past 25 years. At William & Mary, Carrie helped lead the soccer team to four straight conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances. She played and coached six years for the Washington Freedom Soccer Club, was a WUSA All-Star in 2002, and was named to the 2003 Soccer America all-WUSA team.

Ryan Popple, CEO of electric bus manufacturer Proterra, was profiled in the San Francisco Business Times for Proterra’s significant growth and success.

John Seeds writes, “Since graduating in the Y2K (remember that?), I've earned a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, completed a tour as a judge advocate in the Marine Corps, and have since settled with my family, Philip (every bit of 2), Andrew (5), and my wife, Marisa, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. I am a shareholder with the law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., in downtown Pittsburgh, focused on energy related transactions, real estate due diligence, and litigation in the Appalachian Basin. Always happy to visit with the proud few (Marines or Tribe!) if business brings you through Pittsburgh.”

Christine Winner completed training to be a Virginia certified peer recovery support specialist in June 2017. Subsequent to her training, she happily accepted an outreach position with Commonwealth Intensive Community Treatment Services in Virginia Beach as a mental health Peer Recovery Support Specialist. She serves as vice chair of the PAIMI advisory council of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia. 

Elizabeth Jones Wolf and Nicholas Wolf ’99, M.A. ’00 welcomed a daughter, Harper Eloise, on July 13, 2018. Harper Eloise joins big sister Ruby, 4.

Marriages

• Pitamber Devgon Jr. ’00 to Ludovica Cesareo, 7/08/18.