“Award/Recognition” Class Notes

Rebecca “Becky” Kinlein Lindahl (Col ’03 L/M, at right in photo) has been awarded the 2016 Young Professional Leadership Award by ATHENA International in Charlotte, North Carolina. The award honors emerging women leaders for exhibiting professional excellence, providing service to others and serving as role models for young women. Ms. Lindahl, the youngest female partner in the large international law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman, leads by example as a litigator, mentor and women’s advocate.

Jennifer Steen Booher (Arch ’97) has received a 2017 Kindling Fund grant for her project, “The Coast Walk.” The Kindling Fund, administered by SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine, is one of ten nationwide re-granting programs established by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Coast Walk is a methodical, long-term exploration of Mount Desert Island’s shoreline, combining oral history, physical exploration, photography and cultural history, presented as a series of photo-essays on the project blog, Jenniferbooher.com.

Valerie B. “Val” Ackerman (Col ’81 L/M) has been presented with the Billie Jean King Contribution Award by the Women’s Sports Foundation at its annual awards gala in New York City. This annual award is earned by the demonstration of a lasting commitment and dedication to the growth of sports, fitness and physical activity for women and girls. Ms. Ackerman, the first president of the WNBA and current commissioner of the Big East Conference, previously was president of USA Basketball and U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation. At the University, she was one of the school’s first women to receive an athletic scholarship, and was a starter for the Cavaliers’ basketball team for four years, captain for three, and was twice named Academic All-American. She was also the school’s first female basketball player to score 1,000 points.

J. Bryan Lyles (Col ’72) has been recognized as a Fellow of two professional societies: the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Robert A. Buerlein (Com ’68 L/M) has been elected president of the U.S. Marine Raider Foundation, which keeps alive the history of the U.S.’s first elite-force unit, formed in 1942 along the lines of the British Commandos. Swift, hard-hitting surprise raids were their forte, and the 1943 movie, Gung Ho!, told part of their colorful story. In 2014, the Marine Corps revived this unit name and mission objective for their new, Marine Raider Regiment, which is part of the U.S. Special Operations Command; the Raiders are to the Marine Corps what the S.E.A.L.’s are to the Navy. Very little is ever known by the public of their successes, which include sensitive reconnaissance and direct-action missions against high-value targets, far within enemy-controlled territory. Bob and Judy live in Richmond; their youngest son is an MD at the University of Virginia Hospital.

Robert R. Rudd III (Col ’03) was named a “Young Gun” in 2016 by Mortgage Professional America for his efforts to revitalize the mortgage industry. Rob and his wife, Taylor, reside in Leesburg, Virginia with their two daughters, Penelope and Augusta.

Hillary McClintic (Col ’12 CM) has been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. This award is based on academic merit, leadership activity, research achievements, community service, inter-professionalism, humanism and clinical performance. She is one of six students from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s class of 2017 to be selected for this honor.

Jonathan Moorman (Grad ’04, Med ’91, Res ’94 CM) received the 2016 Distinguished Faculty Award for Research, one of the top three honors given to faculty each year at East Tennessee State University. Winners were nominated by their peers, and each received a medallion, a plaque and a cash prize. Dr. Moorman, who joined the Quillen College of Medicine in 2001, is a professor and vice chair for research and scholarship as well as chief of infectious diseases in the department of internal medicine. His research has focused on mechanisms of immune evasion by chronic viral infection, and he has published more than 60 articles in prestigious medical journals. Dr. Moorman earned both his medical degree and his doctorate from the UVA School of Medicine.

Jason Silverman (Col ’74 CM) has been awarded the Immigrants’ Civil War Award by Long Island Wins, a nonprofit communications organization that focuses on immigration issues on Long Island and beyond. The award, given annually to an academic, author, public historian, scholar or artist who has contributed to the understanding of immigrants during the Civil War era, was awarded for Mr. Silverman’s scholarly work on Lincoln and the Immigrant and for the creation of the new Americans by Belief exhibit at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, among other accomplishments. Mr. Silverman will be retiring next fall after teaching for almost 34 years as a chaired professor of history at Winthrop University in South Carolina and for four years at Yale University.

Mike Lynn (Col ’72 CM) of Texas litigation firm Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst was named to “Best Lawyers in America” in 2016. Previously, Mr. Lynn was recognized as a “litigation star” and one of the top 100 trial lawyers for 2015 in the country by Benchmark Litigation.

Joseph Ball (Grad ’70, Grad ’73 CM) has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. A member of the university community since 1973, Mr. Ball made significant contributions to the development of a control theory known as robust control, which allows engineers to design for and ensure acceptable performance in the face of interference in sensor signals. His work in operator and systems theories was important to electrical engineering, and he has published more than 240 papers and presented in 26 countries on five continents. In 1997, he was also honored with the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Research Excellence.

Ronald Hofer (Grad ’73) has been named NJC Distinguished Professor by the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He is the first distinguished professor in the college’s 53-year history. Mr. Hofer has taught at NJC since 1994.

Sean Wells (Arch ’95 CM) won first place in a competition of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, which represents 52 independent lottery organizations. Her Day of the Dead-themed artwork was released on New Mexico Lottery scratchers. A fifth-generation traditional Spanish Colonial artisan, Ms. Wells exhibits at the prestigious Traditional Spanish Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her artwork has appeared on internationally distributed beer labels (Cerveza de los Muertos), national wine labels (La Catrina Vino), and the scratchers. It also has contributed to the branding and logos of many local nonprofits, such as the Day of the Tread Albuquerque bike race, which unveils a new piece by Ms. Wells each year.

Selected to Best Lawyers in America 2017 for Personal Injury Litigation-Defense and Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants.

Benjamin Chew (Law ’88), a litigation partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Washington, D.C., was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in September 2016.

William Ellis (Col ’72 CM) received the Linda Dégh Lifetime Achievement Award for legend scholarship from the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research in June 2016. Mr. Ellis continues to teach part time in the interdisciplinary studies program of Salisbury University and lives in Berlin, Maryland.

Yolanda Gruendel (Com ’91 CM) received a Distinguished Service Award from the Federal Trade Commission for her contributions during the past two decades. She served as an attorney and leader at the commission, where she dedicated herself to professional and leadership development. She recently left the commission to found Pause for Insight, a professional and leadership coaching firm.

Vincent Schooler (Engr ’94 CM) has been elected president of the Greensboro Medical Society. He is a partner in Eagle Gastroenterology in Greensboro, North Carolina. Dr. Schooler and his wife have two children.

Barbara-Ann Adcock (Educ ’88 CM) is among 213 educators across the nation named as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Barack Obama on August 22, 2016. The announcement included both 2014 and 2015 recipients. Up to one science educator and one math educator from each state are named each year. The award, regarded as one of the nation’s top honors for mathematics and science teachers, recognizes teachers who develop and implement high-quality, effective instructional programs. Ms. Adcock, formerly a teacher at Pocahontas Elementary School in Powhatan County, earned the presidential award for K-6th grade science. She is now the STEM coach for Powhatan County Public Schools.

Carol Mattey (Col ’79 CM) received the 2016 Federal Communications Bar Association Excellence in Government Service award in June 2016. This award is given annually to an individual with a long-term communications career in the federal government who is dedicated to excellence in government service. Ms. Mattey is deputy bureau chief at the Federal Communications Commission, focusing on expanding broadband access across the country. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband, James “Jim” Mattey (Col ’79 L/M). They have three children, including Caroline Rebecca Mattey (Col ’12 L/M) and Katelyn Anne Mattey (Educ ’15 L/M).

Marissa Friedman (Col ’14, Educ ’16) has been chosen by the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation as a member of its 2016 cohort of 34 early-career high school mathematics and science teachers. As a KSTF Teaching Fellow, she will have access to a comprehensive set of benefits, including summer stipends, grants for teaching materials, mentoring and support from experienced educators, for five years. This fall, Ms. Friedman will begin her second year of teaching at McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C.

Yingge Du (Engr ’07) has received a 2016 Early Career Research Program grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. He works at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the materials science division, where he studies transition metal oxides—very thin materials with applications including energy capture, storage and conversion.

Rachel DeBacker (Arch ’02) participated in the Cheekwood International Playhouse Design Competition and won a spot in Cheekwood’s summer 2016 exhibition, International Playhouses. The exhibition was presented by Cheekwood, a botanical garden and art museum on the Cheek family estate in Nashville, Tennessee, and it was based on the Cheek family’s travels. Ms. DeBacker’s project, Monsoon Pavilion, was inspired by the colors and patterns of the art and architecture of India.

Brian Chekal (Engr ’97 CM) has received a 2016 Heroes of Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society in recognition of his work on a drug for metastatic breast cancer with Pfizer, where he works in chemical research and development. The award program recognizes chemical scientists whose work has led to the creation of successful commercial products that contribute to human welfare.

Robert Westermann (Col ’92) was recognized in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA for his bankruptcy and restructuring practice. Mr. Westermann is a shareholder in the litigation section of the law firm of Hirschler Fleischer. He works in the firm’s Richmond, Virginia, office, where he is a team leader in the bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors’ rights practice group.

Elizabeth Smith (Col ’85) has been appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Ms. Smith is chairman of the board and CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, the hospitality company that owns Outback Steakhouse and other casual and fine dining brands.

Andrew Lee (Med ’89 CM) has been named president-elect of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Dr. Lee is the chair of the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital and lives with his wife, Hilary Beaver (Med ’91), and their two daughters, Rachael and Virginia Lee, in Houston.

Joseph Evangelisti (Col ’85) has received the John “Jack” Koten Corporate Award from the University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. The award recognizes leaders in corporate communications for their commitment to mentoring young professionals. Mr. Evangelisti is head of worldwide communications and media relations for JPMorgan Chase.

Brian Farmer (Col ’84, Law ’87 CM) was recognized in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA for his practice in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Farmer works in the Richmond, Virginia, office of Hirschler Fleischer, where he is chairman of the firm’s business section and leads the investment management and private funds practice group.

Jacquelyn Perry (Educ ’83) received the General Colin L. Powell Service Award at the inaugural Our Community Salutes of Central Virginia award ceremony in April 2016. The award recognizes a high school educator for providing guidance to students exploring options for serving in the armed forces. Ms. Perry is a guidance counselor at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville.

Charles Romine (Col ’79, Engr ’86 CM) has received an Arthur S. Flemming Award from the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. The awards recognize employees of the federal government for exceptional public service. Mr. Romine is the director of the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, where he oversees a program designed to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness through the development of standards and measurements for interoperability, security, usability and reliability of information systems.

Dennis Curran (Law ’77) received the President’s Award for Judicial Excellence from the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys in recognition of his service and his commitment to the civil justice system. As a trial judge, he has presided over 415 civil and criminal trials.

Joseph Cipp (Educ ’72) was inducted into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his decorated career as football coach for Bellport High School in Brookhaven, on Long Island. He also received the National Football Foundation Honor Award in 2007. Mr. Cipp retired as head coach in 2011.

James Broder (Col ’68 CM) was recognized in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA for his energy and natural resources practice. Mr. Broder is a shareholder in the law firm of Bernstein Shur. He works in the firm’s Portland, Maine, office, focusing on energy transmission and microgrid development, in addition to affordable housing.

Donald Slesnick (Col ’65 CM) has received the 2016 American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Slesnick is managing partner of Slesnick & Casey in Coral Gables, Florida. He has been in private practice since 1976 and has held labor relations positions with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Miami-Dade Police Department. Mr. Slesnick has received numerous other awards, including the ABA Distinguished Service Award and the U.S. Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award. In 2011, he concluded 10 years as the mayor of Coral Gables.

Edward Bedford (Col ’79 CM) has been named a “hometown hero” by radio station WCHL in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was recognized for his volunteer work as a director and former president of Extraordinary Ventures, a charity that provides vocational opportunities for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, and for his volunteer work as scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 820.

James Terpening (Col ’87), a special agent with the U.S. Department of Justice, received an On-the-Spot Award for his innovative “Active Shooter Response” training course. Mr. Terpening, who has been with the DOJ since 1992 and is assigned to the Richmond office, first qualified as a firearms and tactical instructor in 2005, and was a member of the Rifle and Pistol Club at the University.