“Academic Accomplishment” Class Notes

Dawn Bryant Crim (Col ’89 CM) earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2021.

Khalilah L. Brown-Dean (Col ’98) was promoted to full professor in the Department of Political Science at Quinnipiac University. She was also appointed as the inaugural associate provost for faculty affairs. Brown-Dean is the author of Identity Politics in the United States and co-author of the forthcoming book, Protesting Vulnerability: Race and Pandemic Politics. She is host of the radio show and podcast, Disrupted, for Connecticut Public Radio. 

Lyndsay Anderson (Nurs ’07 CM) has been accepted into the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership doctorate at University of California, Davis. She plans to continue research in cancer and health disparities. She serves as part-time faculty at California State University, Sacramento, in the College of Health and Human Services. She lives in Sacramento with her husband, Steven D. Anderson (Col ’96), and two sons, Thomas and Henry. 

David S. Lessen (Col ’94 CM) has joined the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center after being appointed medical director of Sylvester Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. He is also a voluntary assistant professor of medicine in the hematology division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Katherine Bowers (Col ’02, Grad ’04) was promoted to associate professor of Slavic studies with tenure at the University of British Columbia in summer 2020. Her first monograph is forthcoming from University of Toronto Press in 2021.

Jennifer “Kim” Penberthy (Res ’89) published a new book, Living Mindfully Across the Lifespan: An Intergenerational Guide. The book provides user-friendly, empirically supported information about and answers to some of the most frequently encountered questions and dilemmas of human living, interactions, and emotions. Find more information on the book and the link to pre-order it on Routledge’s website.

Grace Gillen (Col ’18 CM) has completed her first year at VCU School of Dentistry in Richmond, Virginia. She expects to graduate as a doctor of dental surgery with the class of 2023.

Casey Chalk (Col ’07, Educ ’07) and his wife, Claire, welcomed a son, Lawrence Casimir, on Aug. 18, 2020. He joins siblings Annemarie, 7; Thomas, 5; and Elizabeth,3. Chalk lives in Fairfax, Virginia, and received a master’s in theology from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, in August 2020. He is a columnist for New Oxford Review and Crisis Magazine.

Nakita Reed (Arch ’06), an associate with Quinn Evans, has been selected as a member of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative Advisory Committee. The new program, led by a partnership of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the JPB Foundation, and The Executive Leadership Council, will provide technical assistance and fund preservation-based stewardship plans at up to eight HBCU campuses across the country.

Tom Pettigrew (Col ’52) published his fifth book, Contextual Social Psychology: Reanalyzing Prejudice, Voting and Intergroup Contact. The book reviews Pettigrew’s life’s work in social psychology and analyzes the 2016 vote for Donald Trump. Pettigrew is 89 years old and has been retired from the University of California, Santa Cruz for 26 years.

Mary Caufield Baldridge (Educ ’10) was selected by the U.S. Department of State for a one-month English language specialist project focusing on production of an English writing textbook in Georgia at Tbilisi State University. Baldridge is part of a select group, as her project is one of 130 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year. Baldridge was an English Language Fellow in Tbilisi, Georgia, during the 2019-20 academic year. During her fellowship, she conducted workshops for English instructors and K-12 teachers at Tbilisi State University, Kutaisi University, and Gori University for the English Teachers’ Association of Georgia. Dr. Baldridge recently retired from Fairfax County Public Schools where she taught secondary English, ESOL, and AP Psychology. She earned a doctorate in education from UVA and received her master’s degree in education from Harvard University.

Charles Ross (Engr ’80, ’83, ’88), professor of physics at Longwood University, will publish his fourth book on the U.S. Civil War, Breaking the Blockade, later this year. Ross has made appearances on PBS, History Channel and National Geographic Channel.

In response to the ongoing global pandemic, Ross Gore (Engr ’07, ’12) has co-published a model forecasting county level outcomes related to COVID-19 for Virginia. The model is available at here.

Marcia Anderson (Col ’76) received her master’s degree in communications and creative writing from American University, followed by a career as a corporate scriptwriter, advertising copywriter and print journalist. Today, she’s an Amazon bestselling romance author of nine e-books, writing under the pen name, Marcia James. Marcia and her husband, James Diebold, celebrate their 45th anniversary together in May 2020. Their 1989 wedding was covered by People Magazine because they asked guests to donate to charity in lieu of giving them presents. They live in Dublin, Ohio.

Derek Rosner (Col ’96) was named chief of outpatient anesthesia at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Rosner is an attending anesthesiologist, treasurer and partner with Springfield Anesthesia Services and is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine/Baystate. When not in the operating room, Rosner is father to Jett, 17 and Aspen, 14. He and his wife, Tara, enjoy ultra-marathon running, Otillio-style swimrun racing and beach home development on the Connecticut shoreline.

Alyson Steele (Arch ’94), executive vice president and chief design officer of Quinn Evans, has been elevated to the College of Fellows within the American Institute of Architects. Steele is known for her work in revitalizing cultural institutions and landmarks across the nation. She has published and presented extensively on a range of topics, including how to leverage technology for integrated stewardship.

Kurt Gilchrist (Col ’99 L/M) recently completed his M.B.A. from Gosport University.  

Joseph Gascho (Med ’73) has a photography exhibit, Diagnosis: Person, on display at Positiveexposure109, a gallery on the north end of Museum Mile, in New York City. This exhibit can be viewed by appointment through the month of February. Gascho is the author of a book of poetry, Cornfields, Cottonwoods, Seagulls and Sermons: Growing up in Nebraska. 

As a student at Brooklyn College, I accumulated 99 credits in 1985-1990. I dedicated my life to the AIDS epidemic. In 1985 it was ramped in New York. Makeshift apartments were used for hospice care. I continued working for the AIDS Services Group here in Charlottesville Va. I was at the forefront of using social media as a means of educating and spreading awareness. I was an online outreach worker. testing coordinator and behavioral councilor reducing high-risk behaviors. After the AIDS Organizations closed in 2015 I decided to complete my degree at UVA. During my semester years. I lost my twin brother, I became ill with cancer. However. I was determined to finish each semester with a focus on completing my degree. I graduated in the Fall of 2019 with a GPA of 4.9.9. I was elected to represent the SCPS for the Honor Committee. I am also the vice president for Sigma Alpha Lambda for Public Relations representing the chapter at UVA. I was awarded the Presidents Volunteer Service Award in 2019. I’m proud of my accomplishments and look forward to walking the lawn in May. I hope my story brings confidence in my fellow student to never give up. Life has its way of throwing us curveballs, overcome them with a positive attitude and a goal for achievement.

Trent S. Dickey (Col ’77 L/M), invited by the All China Lawyers Association, spoke on “American Litigation, A Primer for Chinese Companies” at the December 2019 Global Lawyers Forum in Guangzhou, China. Dickey is a commercial litigation and intellectual property attorney with Sills Cummis in New Jersey and New York City. 

Jeffrey Toney (Col ’81) has served as the chief academic officer at Kean University since 2011 and is currently provost and vice president for research and faculty. He was named visiting professor in the Department of Philosophy and Linguistics at MIT in June 2019, and he will be visiting scholar at Harvard University beginning June 2020.

Amy Ansong (Col ’01) recently completed her Doctorate in Education from George Mason University. She currently resides and works in Italy and the Middle East.

Morgan Anne McCoy (Col ’15) earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in May 2019. She is continuing her training in family medicine at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health in Abington, Pennsylvania. 

Geraldine Chi (Col ’03) earned her MBA in management and finance from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School in May 2018. She was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society and National Society of Leadership and Success–Executive and Advanced Leadership.

Jenna Martin-Trinka (Educ ’15) received a master’s degree, her second, from the University of Salamanca, Spain, in Spanish and Spanish culture. She works as a reading teacher in Harrisonburg City Public Schools providing bilingual reading intervention to students in dual language programming.

Todd Saxton (Col ’85 L/M), with M. Kim Saxton and Michael Cloran, published The Titanic Effect: Successfully Navigating the Uncertainties That Sink Most Startups. The book is a guide that helps new businesses avoid the “icebergs” blocking their path to success. The Titanic Effect was written for founders, startup employees, investors and entrepreneurship enthusiasts. Todd Saxton is a professor and Indiana Venture Faculty Fellow at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Earl Mark Watts (Col ’79, Med ’84) was installed as Delegate for the Virginia Chapter to the Congress of Delegates of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has practiced Family Medicine for the past 30 years in the Roanoke Valley and was recently appointed Family Medicine Clerkship Director for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. 

Andrew G. Lee (Col ’85, Med ’89 L/M) published his 10th ophthalmology textbook, Neuro-Ophthalmology: Global Trends in Diagnosis, Treatment and Management. Dr. Lee is currently president of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society and lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Hilary Beaver (Med ’91) and his two daughters, Rachael and Virginia.

Gwendolyn Denise Perkins (Col ’85 L/M) presented “The Teacher Leadership Journey” at the International Academic Forum Conference on Education in Honolulu, Hawaii, in January 2019. She is an urban school administrator in Virginia and teaches graduate education courses as an adjunct instructor with private and public universities.

Matthew M. Ryals (Col ’11) recently earned his doctorate from the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dorie C. Ellis (Nurs ’10) will earn her doctorate in nursing practice in nurse anesthesia from the University of North Florida in December 2018. 

Jill Zimorski (Col ’99 L/M) passed the master sommelier exam on Sept 5, 2018, successfully completing the four stages required for the qualification. Of the 182 master sommeliers in the Americas chapter, 29 are women. There are 273 master sommeliers worldwide. Zimorski lives in Chicago, where she works as a champagne specialist, representing the Champagnes of the Moët Hennessy Champagne Portfolio (Krug, Ruinart, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot & Moët & Chandon). She was previously the wine director for three Michelin-starred Alinea Restaurant & the Alinea Restaurant Group in Chicago & the Beverage Director for José Andrès, ThinkFoodGroup in Washington, D.C.

Kirsten Randall (Col ’95) earned a master​​​​​​’s degree in humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, and works at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.

Ashley Zamperini (Col ’11) director of admissions of the Casualty Actuarial Society, has earned the Certified Association Executive designation, which is the highest professional credential in the association industry. In her role, Zamperini oversees the credentialing process for the organization, including the creation, delivery, administration, grading and appeals of more than 6,000 examinations annually. She also manages the work of more than 800 volunteers who serve on the admissions committees.