Class Notes

Pamela Schmid (Col ’87 CM) has announced the creation of a study-abroad scholarship in honor of her late sister, Patti Schmid (Col ’89 CM).

Patti spent the 1987-88 academic year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her time there sparked a lifelong desire to make a difference in the world. In 1994, after graduating with a B.A. in history, she traveled to a remote village in Namibia to work as a volunteer English teacher. Tragically, after two years there and only days before her expected return home, Patti contracted a severe case of Hepatitis A. She passed away on Dec. 17, 1995, at age 28.

The Patti Schmid Scholarship (PSS) is the first named inbound study-abroad scholarship in St. Andrews’ 700-year history. The effort was sparked by family and friends from Patti’s days at UVA and St. Andrews. As of late February, more than $87,000 of the $145,000 needed to endow the scholarship has been raised.

The PSS offers financial support to students pursuing a semester or academic year study-abroad opportunity at St. Andrews. Based on financial need, the scholarship honors the unique qualities that exemplified Patti’s life, including curiosity, zest for life, love of learning, and desire for cultural understanding.

Olivia J. (Kiers) Stone (Col ’12) announces her exhibition, A Weather Eye: Art and Early Modern Meteorology, at the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, which will run from March 28 to June 28, 2026. As assistant curator of prints, drawings, and photographs, Stone gathered more than forty prints, including maps, graphic satires and more, to chart the dramatic scientific and societal shifts in Europe and America’s collective understanding of weather from the 16th to early 19th centuries. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue she co-edited with curator of contemporary art Samantha Cataldo, titled Facing the Elements: Visualizing Weather Then, Climate Now (Hirmer Verlag, distributed by the University of Chicago Press).

Michaela Barnett (Engr ’22) is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District. A Democrat, she is competing for the longest continuously held Republican seat in the country. She previously completed an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellowship in science and technology policy in Congress in 2025.

Stacy Landis Hackney (Law ’01) will publish her debut adult mystery, The Primrose Murder Society, with HarperCollins on March 3, 2026. Set in Richmond, Virginia, the novel follows Lila Shaw, a newly single mom who moves into a luxurious retirement building with her crime-obsessed daughter and reluctantly agrees to investigate a decades-old murder in the building. When another resident is killed and Lila becomes the prime suspect, she must team up with her elderly neighbors to catch a killer.

Nancy Hudgins (Law ’78 CM) will release a biography, Books Good Enough for You, the Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children’s Books, with Abrams Books on March 24, 2026. Nordstrom, the 20th century editor at Harper & Brothers, edited Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are and Harold and the Purple Crayon, among many other children’s classics. Books Good Enough for You, recommended for children ages 10-14, tells the story of Nordstrom’s life and her advocacy for children’s right to read.

Charles Garrettson (Col ’75, Grad ’86) wrote A Stroke of Luck: an Exercise in Meaning, about his experience with a stroke. Garrettson wrote it on his iPhone, using the index finger on his non-dominant hand. A Stroke of Luck draws from the philosophy of Viktor Frankl, whose book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Garrettson credits with transforming his life from one of crisis to opportunity.

Kimberly Pryor (Col ’94) was selected as the Chief Financial Officer of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). VDOT is the third largest state department of transportation in the country.  Pryor is responsible for the agency’s $8.3 billion annual budget and nearly 180 team members serving VDOT’s financial planning, capital investment, asset management, federal programs, fiscal management, public-private partnerships and tolling programs.

Cynthia Alam (Col ’19 CM) recently facilitated an executive presence workshop for senior leaders at Microsoft through her company, PRSNCE Command. During the workshop, she guided participants in building composure, clarity and influence in high-pressure situations, skills that drive stronger leadership and more effective decision-making. PRSNCE Command helps leaders and teams translate executive presence into measurable impact in any high-stakes environment.

Walter (Casey) King (Engr ’89) retired after 31 years as physics professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) in Conway, South Carolina. In addition, Casey ended the HGTC Addiction and Recovery Lecture Series after 20 successful years of bringing the message of recovery to college campus with such notable celebrity speakers as Craig T. Nelson, Danny Trejo, Meredith Baxter and many others over the years.

Allison Geller (LaMothe) (Col ’12) published her debut crime novel, Dirty Metal, with Flatiron Books in February. Dirty Metal, set in New York City in 1992, features crime reporter Parker Snow as she investigates the Russian mafia and a string of women’s murders. Kirkus Reviews called it “a bold debut befitting its bold heroine” in a starred review, while CrimeReads named her “a startling and original talent” in its 2026 “Most Anticipated” list.

Frederick Schutt (Col ’04, Law ’13 CM) was elected as a principal at Woods Rogers, a Virginia-based law firm. Practicing our of the firm’s Richmond office, he focuses on labor and employment matters. In addition to defending employers before federal and state agencies, he conducts workplace investigations, negotiates employment-related agreements and advises on effective workplace policies.