Kudos! June 2023
June 23, 2023
By
W&M Alumni Magazine
Congratulations to William & Mary alumni who are making moves in the world. This is where we celebrate awards, job changes, promotions, recognition and other career and civic engagement news we collected between Feb. 28 and June 1. For more updates from your classmates, check out the Class Notes at magazine.wm.edu/class-notes and in the print edition of the W&M Alumni Magazine!
If you would like to submit an item for Kudos, email the W&M Alumni Magazine staff at alumni.magazine@wm.edu.
Awards and Recognition
Jennifer Carino ’00, a recruiting program manager with the Army Criminal Investigation Division, was honored by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) for Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Carino’s family story celebrates strong women making a difference for future generations.
Wesley Clayton J.D. ’21, director of Mercury Public Affairs, was named in the 2023 Albany 40 Under 40. Clayton has tackled a wide range of projects within the government sphere, first as a legislative fellow in the office of state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris and now at Mercury Public Affairs, a global public strategy firm where he is focused on issues related to the gig economy and artificial intelligence.
Charles Davis ’81 was named Southern Living Magazine’s Cook of the Month. He worked at Reynolds Metals in Richmond and then taught at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is now the first gentleman at Furman University.
Kyle Elliott J.D. ’11 was named one of Style Weekly’s 40 under 40. In January 2022, he became the in-house counsel for the Virginia Community Healthcare Association (VCHA), an organization he worked closely with while in private practice. The VCHA represents health centers around the state, making sure they can provide quality primary health care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Ellen Frackelton M.A.Ed. ’19 was named Williamsburg-James City County Teacher of the Year 2023. Serving as the reading specialist for Laurel Lane Elementary, Frackelton supports classroom teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources to deliver quality literacy instruction to their students.
Tad Geschickter ’85, co-owner of the JTG Daugherty Racing Team, celebrated with his staff on Feb. 19 when their lone car, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s No. 47, won the 2023 Daytona 500 — aka "The Great American Race."
Katie Larsen ’93, financial advisor for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, was recently named to the 2023 Forbes “Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State” list, recognizing the top women wealth advisors across the nation.
Bill Lawrence ’90 delivered the 95th commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College, founded by his great-great grandparents. Lawrence is the creator of the series “Scrubs” as well as the co-creator of the Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso.
Job Changes and Promotions
Timothy Michael Broas J.D. ’79 was appointed to President Biden’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. During the first term of the Obama-Biden Administration, Broas served on the Board of Trustees of the Wilson Center of International Scholars. He was then nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, and he served as chief of mission in The Hague from 2014 to 2016. In recognition of his service, Broas was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Department of the Navy, the highest award given by the secretary of the navy to a civilian.
Michael Collett J.D. ’16 has joined the ranks of the personal injury law firm Breit Biniazan P.C., bringing with him extensive experience gained through his 14 years of active-duty service in the United States Navy, most recently serving as a judge advocate general (JAG).
Emily Douglas ’15, was promoted to assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Douglas Dziak J.D. ’99 was named as a nominee for member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission with the Biden Administration. Dziak is currently chief counsel to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Peter A. Feldman and has spent almost a decade in public service. In this current role, Dziak’s work covers a broad range of issues including consumer safety policy, legal, budget and oversight to advance Consumer Product Safety Commission’s safety mission to protect the public from the unreasonable risks of injury and death from consumer products.
Jacqueline Genovese ’87, executive director of Stanford University’s Medicine & the Muse program in the School of Medicine’s Biomedical Ethics, is a recipient of the 2023 Amy J. Blue Award, which recognizes staff for their exceptional contributions to the university, passion for their work and support for their colleagues.
William “Bill” Kearney Jr. ’92, J.D. ‘96 joined Stinson LLP in Washington, D.C., as of counsel in the Corporate Finance Practice Division. Kearney 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.
Yolanda Melville ’07 has joined the Office of the Attorney General in New Jersey to serve as senior counsel and director of community engagement, the position charged with serving as a liaison to community stakeholders across the state to connect with the office’s initiatives.
Richard C. Nylander ’66 was appointed to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, an advisory committee charged with the preservation of the White House and largely made up of citizens appointed by the president for their experience with historic preservation, architecture and decorative arts, and for their scholarship in these areas.
Baxter Phillips III M.B.A. ’08 has been appointed to the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO) at Lobe Sciences Ltd. Phillips will also serve as president of Altemia and Co. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary focusing on treatments and support for patients with sickle cell anemia. Phillips will report directly to Lobe’s chairman and chief executive officer, Philip J. Young. He will also continue to be on the company’s board, of which he has been a member since October 2022. The COO role was created to provide additional executive leadership as Lobe Sciences continues its strategic transition to a diversified, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company preparing to launch its first commercial product, Altemia, a medical food designed for patients with sickle cell anemia.
Jay Rapoport ’99 began a new role as the director of URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, a Jewish arts camp based outside of Philadelphia.
Ellen Stofan ’83, D.Sc. ’16, P ’10, P ’14 was appointed to the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science. Stofan is the under secretary for science and research at the Smithsonian Institution, where she oversees the Smithsonian’s science museums and research centers, including the National Zoo.
Jayson Traxler ’00 has been appointed as chief executive officer at Stax, a Boston-headquartered mergers and acquisitions strategy consulting firm as of June 7. Traxler joined Stax in 2021 as chief operating officer after Blue Point Capital’s acquisition of the firm. He was named president the following year.
Peter William “Will” Sweetser ’15, recently matched in emergency medicine at George Washington University Hospital.
Molly Ward J.D. ’87 was appointed to the National Park System Advisory Board on May 24. First authorized in 1935, the board advises the secretary and the director of the National Park Service (NPS) on matters relating to the service’s work.
Nancy N. Young ’86 has been hired as chief sustainability officer to lead the sustainability, environmental and scientific affairs for Gevo Inc. Young is a highly experienced veteran of the aviation industry, with deep expertise in developing environmental and sustainability policy and regulatory programs, as well as in commercial deployment of low carbon fuels and technologies. Her most recent position was as chief sustainability officer for Alder Fuels.
Jimmy Zednik ’96 was promoted to brand manager of Hohner Harmonicas for the U.S. market. He is employed by KHS America in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. KHS America is the distributor for Hohner products in the U.S. He has worked for Hohner since being hired by HSS (Hohner, Sonor, Sabian) in Glen Allen, Virginia, in May 2005, when he worked on the sales team.