“Job” Class Notes

Hersch Weinstock (Col ’93 L/M) was named Director, Tripartite Joint Operations Cell, an organizational element of the NATO mission in Afghanistan assisting the resolution of border issues between that nation and Pakistan, as well as facilitating information sharing and operational cooperation between the two nations’ militaries.  Captain Weinstock (U.S. Navy) also serves as Director, Afghan Hands Management Element – Forward, managing advisory teams spread across Afghanistan who work with the various Ministries, Afghan National Defense Security Forces and other agencies to improve governance and build security capability and capacity.

James Tattersall (Col ’63 L/M), professor of mathematics at Providence College, will be a visiting fellow at Wolfson College and a visiting mathematician in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge University for the 2017 Easter Term.

Danita Rountree Green (Col ’85) is vice chair of the Richmond Public Library Board of Directors and co-convener of (CTTT-RVA) Coming To The Table, a national organization dedicated to racial healing and social equity. As an author, radio personality and entrepreneur, she focuses her time and talents on issues important to marginalized communities. Her latest endeavor is The Love Locked Down Theatre Project – a play that addresses the affects of prison culture on society, particularly the lives of women; it is based on her novel by the same name. She is the art specialist for the City of Richmond (VA) creating therapeutic art programming to serve an ever-changing and diverse community. Green is also CEO of her own small press, TBL Publications, which is “dedicated to telling common stories in an uncommon way.”

Her personal statement—
“Language leads change and creates the narrative for our personal histories and the legacy that we leave for the next generation.  I believe that when we live in a story that is inclusive and embraces, respects and acknowledges the lives of others, we lead more fruitful lives ourselves.”

This nomination afforded me a platform to talk about some important issues such as restorative justice and social equity.  All good.  Here is a little bit about the Love Locked Down Theatre Project that will have its hard open at the Gottwald Theatre, Richmond Center Stage in October.  I am working to get the dates included on local university syllabi.  This video was made by one of my interns.

The Love Locked Down Theatre Project
Love Locked Down/ Satiafa speaker
Dinner with Satiafa

Colonel Geoffrey F. Weiss (Engr ’91 L/M) was chosen by the U.S. Air Force to command the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma in June of 2017.  The 552 ACW operates Air Combat Command’s fleet of E-3 Sentry (AWACS) aircraft as well as the Control and Reporting Centers which provide tactical command and control for world-wide combatant commanders.  He is also proud to announce the graduation of his son, Scott Christopher, from UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science in May.  Scott will earn a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a commission in the U.S. Air Force where he will serve as an Air Force Civil Engineer.

Garth Wermter (Col ’96) has been named Chief Technology Officer of and a Partner in Infranet Technologies Group, a global technology firm with offices in Wilmington, NC; Raleigh, NC; Rocky Mount, NC; and Richmond, VA.

Sean Suder (Arch ’00, Law ’04) has joined the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP as a partner in its Cincinnati office.  Sean practices commercial real estate, land use, zoning and historic preservation law, and  leads the firm’s zoning consulting affiliate, Calfee Zoning.  He was named a 2017 Ohio Rising Star in the category of land use law. Sean will be presenting on the topic of zoning for re-population at the American Planning Association (APA) National Conference in New York City, and on the integration of zoning and historic preservation at the Michigan Historic Preservation Conference in Petoskey.  

Shannon Montague (Col ’05 L/M) is excited to return to Charlottesville after being named Head of the Learning Village (PS-8) at St. Anne’s-Belfield School. Previously, Shannon served as Middle School Dean of Students and Drama Coordinator at The Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Scott Dillon (Com ’96 L/M) founded The Twisted Shrub in Minneapolis, MN. The Twisted Shrub specializes in the hand-crafted production of shrubs. Shrubs, also known as ‘drinking vinegars,’ are cocktail and soda mixers made using apple cider vinegar, fresh fruit and cane sugar. Scott founded the company after attending a cocktail class in Minneapolis and is an avid consumer of his own product to help him cope with constant stress of UVA athletics. Prior to launching the company in 2015, Scott spent 19 years in Sales at General Mills. He lives in Edina, MN, with his wife, K.C. Danzansky and their two children, Drew, 10 and Benji, 8.

Colonel David Walsh took command as the Program Manager, USMC Light/Attack Helicopter Program, on March 9, 2017. Colonel Walsh is currently stationed at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, where he lives with his wife Christina and their youngest son, Luke. Their oldest son, Riley, is a first-year student at UVA.

Michele Hamilton Meiners (Col ’92 L/M) founded The Meiners Law Firm, PLLC, in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2017. Her practice focuses on representing commercial and residential landlords on all tenant related litigation. She litigates in all state, federal and appellate courts in Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, including all local bankruptcy courts. After graduating from the University, she attended law school at George Mason University (JD 1998), in Arlington, Virginia. She lives in Burke, Virginia, with her husband, Michael D. Meiners (Engr ’91 L/M), and her two children, Joseph, 16, and Lizzie, 13.

Linda Choe (Col ’07) is associate at Bean, Kinney & Korman in Arlington, Virginia. She represents individuals in divorce and other family law matters, and also serves on the board of directors for the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project. Previously, Ms. Choe worked as an associate at Hottell Family Law Group and at Legal Services of Northern Virginia.

Lauren Parker (Col ’05, Law ’08) has joined UVA Law School’s Career Services team as director. Ms. Parker, who participated in on-Grounds interviews as a student and later as an employer, will now help prepare students to launch their careers. Previously, Ms. Parker was a commercial litigation and antitrust attorney for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in Washington, D.C. In her new position, she will advise students and alumni on private-sector positions; help them evaluate practice areas, firms and legal markets; and help them develop strategies to compete for the positions they target. She will also help students create resumes and cover letters and prepare for interviews.

Catherine “Lisa” Davis Rawls (Engr ’04 L/M) was named partner of KPMG in October 2016. She first joined KPMG’s risk consulting practice upon graduating from the University, and now leads the practice’s enterprise governance risk and compliance services group and is recognized as a global leader, helping companies proactively manage risk and improve business performance. Ms. Rawls lives with her husband in Falls Church, Virginia. In her free time, she serves on several committees at N Street Village, a homeless and rehabilitation center for women in Washington, D.C., and is a mentor through the Global Give Back Circle to a Kenyan University student. Ms. Rawls is the sister of Christopher James Davis (Col ’99 L/M) and the daughter of James Charles Davis (Col ’69 L/M).

Brian C. Barry (Law ’04) has been appointed chief compliance officer for EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany. Mr. Barry will be responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the company’s comprehensive compliance program and will also be a member of the  organization’s leadership team.

Rachel Kay Walker (Col ’02), assistant professor and nurse scientist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Nursing, has received a Career Catalyst Research award totaling $450,000 from the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, the world’s largest nongovernmental breast cancer research organization. Ms. Walker will work with a multidisciplinary team over the next three years to develop new technology to support breast cancer survivors, building on research she conducted at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, during her postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Innovative Care in Aging. While five of these awards were given to researchers this year, Ms. Walker’s was the only nurse-led team to receive the award.