Class Notes

Caroline Dundervill (Educ ’20 CM) graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 2025. She is currently a second year Ob/Gyn resident at the University of Kentucky.

Jay Pendarvis Jr. (Col ’24) wrote and directed a short film, See You, Soon, starring Asante Blackk (When They See Us, Euphoria) and Isaiah John (Snowfall). The film premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival and has since been selected for Palm Springs International ShortFest, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, and Five Film Fridays. The project serves as a proof of concept for Pendarvis’ first feature film, Brother’s Keeper, which is currently in the financing stage through Antigravity Academy with producers Carlos López Estrada and Valerie Bush. The feature has Asante Blackk attached to star and Isaiah John attached as both cast and executive producer. Now studying at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Pendarvis is a former competitor on the Virginia Track & Field team.

Thomas Gorman (Col ’82 CM) recently celebrated his 40th year of continuous, full-time employment.

Seth McElroy (Nurs ’17) appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! on June 5, 2026, fulfilling his lifelong dream of competing on the show. A watch-party was held in Charlottesville.

Peter DiGiacinto (Engr ’81) retired as head of Global Research and Development with a major chemical company after 45 years in the industry. Starting in process design with Ethyl Corp., DiGiacinto went on to become a leading expert in Linear Alpha Olefin technology, helping design and commission several world scale units. During his career, he held several upper-level positions including technology manager, project general manager, and site manager with companies including Albemarle Corp., Amoco, BP Chemicals, and INEOS. In retirement, DiGiacinto intends to pursue his love of mountain biking in northwestern Arkansas.

Teri Lovelace (Col ’82 CM) retired in 2020 as founder and president of LOCUS Impact Investing, a national consulting and investment advising firm. Since then, she’s managed her father’s 140 head of black angus cattle at Wallace Gap Farm in Madison, Virginia. The farm sells direct to consumers desiring all-natural, pasture-raised beef.

John Chilton (Col ’75) and his spouse, Carolyn Moomaw Chilton, have written Even the Stones Will Shout: Shrine Mont at 100. The couple celebrates their 52nd wedding anniversary in 2026. After living and working around the globe, the couple retired to Carolyn’s hometown of Orkney Springs, Virginia.

Ebony Walden (Arch ’06) will publish her memoir, Where I’m From: A Poetic Journey Across Five Continents, with She Writes Press in September 2026. Walden is also the creator and host of Black Beyond Borders, a travel documentary series exploring Black identity, culture and belonging across the African diaspora. Season one premiered in fall 2025, and season two is slated to premiere in February 2027.

Mary Katherine “MK” Mawyer King (Engr ’02 CM) was appointed to the Albemarle County Planning Commission by the Board of Supervisors in January 2026. King is a Central Virginia real estate broker and community advocate who brings more than two decades of experience in residential construction, land use, housing and community development. Through this role, she will help guide recommendations on growth, land-use policy and long-range planning for the county.

Zachary “Tyler” Carrico (Com ’16) and Kari Heavenrich (Com ’16) welcomed their first child, Bryn Leigh Carrico, on June 21, 2025. Bryn Leigh’s grandparents include John Carrico (Com ’86, Darden ’91 CM) and the late Sheri Leigh Carrico (Educ ’87 CM). Tyler is managing partner of Thayer Investment Partners in San Francisco; Kari is a vice president at Rockpoint. The family lives in Larkspur, California.

Woodfin Ligon (Grad ’70) worked for General Electric’s Global Research Center in Schenectady, New York for 33 years. He has more than 40 peer reviewed scientific papers, including a requested review paper on mass spectrometry for the journal Science. He also has 14 U.S. patents. He retired in 2007 to his homeplace near Farmville, Virginia. He is married to Ann Crumrine Ligon, with whom he has two children. His son, Tom, who graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MIT, is a senior manager at X-energy. His daughter, Claire Ligon (Educ ’12), graduated from the University of Richmond and UVA, and is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. The Ligons have two grandchildren.

Rebekah Edwards O’Dell (Col ’04, Educ ’05) has accepted the position of master teacher for strategic cultural partnerships at the College of William and Mary. O’Dell, who has spent 21 years in the classroom, is the founder of the Moving Writers Community and the author of four books on writing instruction.

Griff Thomas (Col ’81) is living in St. Petersburg and Delray Beach, Florida.

Derek Baxter (Col ’95) published his second book, The Forgotten World War: Exploring the Secret History of the American Revolution, from Spain to India and Back Again. In it, he tells the story of the Revolutionary War not only as a colonial uprising, but as a vast war fought across four continents. He traveled to many of these places around the world where the war was fought, showing how deeply interconnected America’s story was with events unfolding across globe. This follows his first book, In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

Suzette Bishop (Grad ’87) recently published three poetry chapbooks, “Eyes of Some Robbers,” “Unbecoming,” and “Were-Jag.” Bishop has an MFA from UVA and a Doctor of Arts from the State University of Albany.

Andrew G. Lee (Col ’85, Med ’89 CM) published his 16th textbook, Consultations in Neuro-ophthalmology and Neuro-ophthalmology Update. Additionally, he is proud to celebrate the May graduation of his daughter, Virginia Lee (Col ’26), an Echols Scholar.

Ellen Morris Prewitt (Col ’79 CM) released When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women, a New Orleans-based fantasy, whose protagonist, Etoile, inadvertently calls forth a prince, a saint and her three ancestral grannies. Etoile enlists her grannies to help return the prince to his own time, but turning to three murderous women might not be her best idea. Prewitt, who weaves her Southern life — and family secrets — into her writing, was named to Salvation South‘s “Best of 2025” list for an Honorable Mention on her essay “Granddaughter of the Instigator.”

Mimi Montgomery (Col ’14 CM) will publish her debut novel, Murder Bites, with Penguin Random House on August 4. Murder Bites is a charmingly quirky and clever murder mystery about a death that happens on the set of a reality TV show about dogs. It was named one of Lit Hub’s most anticipated books of 2026, as well as one of GoodRead’s buzziest debut novels of 2026. Montgomery lives in Washington, D.C., where she’s a reporter at Axios.

Ken Ginader (Engr ’76 CM) was appointed to the board of the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) Enshrinee Nominations & Selections Committee. Committee members vote to enshrine aviation leaders, pilots, teachers, scientists, engineers, inventors, governmental leaders and other individuals who have contributed to the establishment and/or advancement of aviation in the U.S. NAHF seeks to promote a better sense of appreciation of the origins and growth of aviation.

James M. Thunder (Grad ’74) and co-author K. Chris Todd wrote United States Attorneys for the District of Columbia, 1801-2024, published by the Historical Society of the D.C. Circuit in April. The book is a compendium of 49 biographies, including Francis Scott Key, and UVA alumni Morgan H. Beach (Law 1884), David G. Bress (Col 1928), Stanley S. Harris (Com ’51, Law ’53), Roscoe C. Howard Jr. (Law ’77), Kenneth L. Wainstein (Col ’84), and Channing D. Phillips (Col ’80). Thunder and Todd thank Anne C. Causey, Randi Flaherty (Grad ’08, ’14), and Cecilia Brown of UVA Special Collections for their assistance in researching the book.

Brooke Brower (Col ’00 CM) joined Johns Hopkins University as the director of an initiative on democracy reforms for the recently established School of Government and Policy. From 2023 to 2025, he was the executive producer of ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, earning four Emmy nominations and maintaining the show’s #1 position among total viewers during his tenure.

Lara Call Gastinger (Col ’98 CM) will publish her book, A Perpetual Journal Practice, with Timber Press on June 23, 2026. The book guides readers through the transformative practice of the perpetual journal—a forgiving, incremental, long-term approach to connecting with the natural world through drawing. This book will feature the philosophy behind the perpetual journal, introductory techniques, and the 52 spreads from Gastinger’s own perpetual journal. Some of Gastinger’s first botanical sketches were in the gardens at UVA. Gastinger will give a book talk at the CODE Building in Charlottesville on June 27.

Larry Good (Col ’61) has released a new children’s book, The Tree of Ticket Leaves, about the fantastical adventures of a girl, a “deputized question mark,” a tackling dummy, and a buffalo unicorn. Good is a former high school teacher and school librarian.

Allen Groves (Law ’90 CM) received the Chancellor’s Medal for his transformative contributions to the student experience at Syracuse University while serving as senior vice president and chief student experience officer. The Chancellor’s Medal is Syracuse University’s highest honor. Groves has been in the role since 2021.

Jill Corso McNabb (Col ’90, Darden ’99 CM) was awarded honorary membership in the American Pharmacists Association. This honor, one of the organization’s highest recognitions, celebrates individuals whose work has made a significant impact on public health and the pharmacy profession. McNabb, a longtime technology leader at the intersection of pharmacy and innovation, has spent more than two decades shaping product strategy, data-driven solutions and startup growth across the healthcare landscape. She has been a founding team member of several pharmacy-focused ventures, including Pharmacy Profiles, Synerio, and RxAlly, helping bring forward new tools that support pharmacists and improve patient care. Beyond her work in pharmacy technology, McNabb is a committed STEM education advocate and volunteer leader helping to build the new Northern Virginia Science Center.

C. Diane Smock (Law ’79 CM) received the first—and to date only—Extraordinary Achievement Award from the Upstate Mediation Center of Greenville, South Carolina. A former judge, Smock recognized the organization’s vital role in both the community and the court system. Stepping in during a critical period, she volunteered to lead the center on an interim basis, guiding its stabilization and renewal. Through strategic collaboration with local grant partners, she secured essential operating support and helped launch new programs designed to generate sustainable revenue, ensuring the center’s continued service as a valuable community resource.

Christopher D. Stanley (Com ’76) retired in 2022 after 30 years as a professor and author focusing on the social and religious world of early Christianity and Judaism. In addition to his academic publications, he recently released the final volume of his historical fiction trilogy, A Slave’s Story. He and his wife Laurel Stanley (Nurs ’77) live in southern California.

Nicola Beel (Col ’07) and Joseph Crisci were married Nov. 8, 2025, in beautiful Saint Barthélemy. Beel is a senior wealth management lending officer for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in New York City.

Page Nelson (Col ’76) and co-translator Leonid Gornik have published Osip Mandelstam: Selected Poems with Carrsbrook Press. Nelson and Gornik’s translation is the most comprehensive offering of Mandelstam’s verse in English currently in print.

Tammy Stempler Priest (Col ’91 CM) has written Jerusalem Calls, to be released in August. Part memoir, part biblical history, Jerusalem Calls tells the story of her faith journey—which took an unexpected turn during her time at Virginia—with the rich tradition of Judaism and the Old Testament pilgrimage feasts, from Sinai to Jesus’ ministry to today.

John Culver (Col ’81 CM) has joined the Jim Pattison Group as U.S. General Counsel. The Jim Pattison Group, based in Vancouver, Canada, is one of North America’s largest privately held companies, with operations spanning automotive, advertising, media, food and beverage and entertainment. Culver previously spent 35 years as a litigation partner at K&L Gates and its predecessor firm.

Delaney Mitchell Crozier (Col ’17) and Benjamin Crozier (Col ’18) were married in Chicago, on March 28, 2026. Delaney met Benjamin at a Christmas party at his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu, in December 2015. The couple had their first date at Fig on the Corner exactly ten years before their wedding day. They were joined by many fellow Wahoos to celebrate the occasion.

Michael Gragnani (Col ’99 CM) has been named CEO at Diversified Trust, a $14 billion wealth firm. Gragnani is currently the managing principal of the firm’s Atlanta office. He will assume his role as CEO in January 2027.

Frank Block III (Engr ’07, ’09, ’12 CM) has been named the 2026 Federal Engineer of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers. At the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, he leads responses to major medical device recalls, including a series of respiratory device recalls affecting over 2.8 million devices, and helped prevent 38 million defective syringes from reaching U.S. patients.

James Currie (Grad ’69, ’75) published his fifth book, Missouri Mule: How Harry Truman’s Stubbornness and Determination Helped Win World War II and Led Him to the Presidency, with Academica Press. It is primarily the story of how Harry Truman went from being in Franklin Roosevelt’s political doghouse to being Roosevelt’s running mate in 1944. Secondarily, it exposes the actions of some of our country’s largest corporations, notably US Steel and Standard Oil of New Jersey, who placed shareholder profits ahead of furnishing appropriate and contracted-for materiel that was used in the World War II fight against Germany and Japan.

 Lauren Santana (Col ’06, Educ ’07) has founded Curated Concierge in Charlottesville, helping families and professionals manage their busy lives. She recently launched Curated Campus to support UVA students and their families with move-in, move-out and summer storage. After 13 years as an elementary educator, she is excited to pivot while continuing her work of supporting families in a new way.

Steve Huntoon (Col ’78, Law ’82 CM) published his 100th trade press column on the electric power industry. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Wilmington, Delaware, and Boston, near their grandchildren, and in Miami Beach during the winter. He will be co-hosting a celebration of the Declaration’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, at Jefferson Hall, West Range, on Grounds.

Scott Lambridis (Col ’99) will publish his debut novel, St. Ulphia’s Dead, with Regal House Publishing in July. A literary novel with a speculative edge, St. Ulphia’s Dead follows two researchers investigating an outbreak of apparent possession on a remote island, where the boundary between science and belief begins to erode. Lambridis, a former neurobiology student, lives in Washington state and earned his MFA from San Francisco State University.