Class Notes

Valerie Johnson Thornton (Col ’87 CM) graduated with a doctorate in education from Regent University on May 3, 2024.  Thornton is as a second-grade teacher at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia.

Neal Willetts (Educ ’06) married Elijah Akers in a late afternoon ceremony at Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia on June 26th, 2024.  Katie Morgans (Col ’07) did one of the readings, and numerous UVA friends were in attendance.  Surrounded by over 100 family, friends, and co-workers the couple celebrated in true ’Hoo style and kept the party going until late in the evening at a local bar after the reception.  Akers is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and the couple are about to move to Columbus, Ohio where he works in the IT industry and Willets works as a project manager for a small software company.

Patricia A. Steenberg Leonard (Col ’88 CM) has been named one of the Top 50 woman lawyers in the State of Florida by Florida Super Lawyers.  Leonard is a business trial attorney at Shutts & Bowen LLP in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she practices commercial litigation, labor and employment litigation, and intellectual property litigation.

Arthur Kahn (Col ’69 CM) is in his third season screening arthouse and repertory films at Thetford (VT) Academy’s Martha Jane Rich Theater.  Thetford Arthouse Cinema hosts residents and visitors in the Vermont/New Hampshire Upper Valley twice weekly for twelve weeks of free films, refreshments and discussion, with support from The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation and Vermont Humanities.

Myron Santos (Col ’01 CM) has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work on The Amazing Race in the category of Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program. It is his second nomination; his first came for RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars in 2019. Santos and his wife and their 9-year-old daughter live in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700) and The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and is on the board of the U.Va Entertainment Club of Los Angeles.

Andrew G. Lee, M.D. (Col 85, Med 89 CM) published the second edition of his textbook, Emergencies in Neuro-ophthalmology. Dr. Lee served this year (2023-2024) as president of the Houston Ophthalmological Society and president of the Houston Neurological Society.

John Allis (Col ’75) and Cathy Allis (Educ ’77) have received organic certification for Kennebec Oat Farm.  The farm is located in eastern coastal Maine and grows milky oats, wild raspberry leaf and lady’s mantle leaf.  John continues as a licensed engineer in Maine, Colorado and Virginia, although most of his time is spent on the oat farm.

R. Webb Moore (Engr ’80 CM) has joined the Sands Anderson law firm as counsel in the Richmond, Virginia office.  Sands Anderson is a full-service, multi-disciplinary law firm with offices in Virginia and North Carolina.

www.sandsanderson.com

Steve McCullough (Col ’94 CM) recently published through LexisNexis a treatise on the Virginia Constitution entitled Virginia Constitutional Law.  McCullough has served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia since 2016.

Don Slesnick (Col ’65 CM) was presented with the Henry M. Flagler Community Builder Award at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Goals Conference banquet in June. The award, which acknowledges lifetime contributions to South Florida, was given to Slesnick and his late wife Jeannett, who was honored posthumously.

Mark Eid, M.D., M.B.A. (SCPS ’22) and Stephen Chang, M.D., M.B.A (SCPS ’22) have founded Acts Financial Advisors, a wealth management firm in McLean, Virginia that recently surpassed $100 million in assets under management. They started their company after graduating from UVA’s Certified Financial Planning program, and now provide comprehensive financial advising with an emphasis on tax strategy and asset protection for high-net-worth physicians and entrepreneurs.

Becky Krystal (Col ’05) has been named recipes editor at The Washington Post. Krystal has worked at the Post since 2007 and recently completed a six-year stint as a staff writer and recipe developer. She also worked for the TV Week, Sunday Source and Travel sections.

Nayna Agrawal (Col ’98) received a commission from the Bechdel Project in Brooklyn, New York for her play, Brad Pitt’s My Bitch. Her play, Slut, will be produced this October in Arkansas.

Ben Rosenthal (Com ’05 CM) has been named an Entrepreneur of The Year 2024 Southwest award winner by Ernest & Young LLP. Rosenthal is co-president and CEO of Standard Meat Company in Fort Worth, Texas. Entrepreneur of The Year is a competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies.

Sabrina du Pont-Langenegger (Col ’04 CM) has founded Good Friends of The First State, a non-profit all women’s organization whose mission is to inspire hope and provide financial stability to struggling women and girls in Delaware, her home state. Good Friends provides one time, limited financial assistance in times of crisis to prevent women on the brink from falling into a downward spiral that can be nearly impossible to recover from when living month to month, for example.  Women are referred through social workers and healthcare professionals. The organization helps with needs such as housing, transportation, medical expenses, utilities, childcare and more.

The organization raised over $60,000 at its inaugural fundraiser in April and since then has helped 12 women in crisis, with plans to help many more. Vera Gerrity (Col ’04, Law ’08 CM) serves on the board of directors.