“Job” Class Notes

Sherrie Sandy Westin (Col ’80 CM) was named president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit behind “Sesame Street.” Westin is the first woman to lead Sesame Workshop since its co-founder, Joan Ganz Cooney. Westin had served as president of the organization since 2021 before being named interim CEO in February.

Rear Adm. Cathal O’Connor (Col ’88 CM) joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as an adjunct research staff member in the Strategy, Forces, and Resources Division of IDA’s Systems and Analyses Center.

IDA is a nonprofit corporation that operates three federally funded research and development centers in the public interest. IDA answers the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical and analytic expertise.

Now retired, O’Connor commanded a warship in San Diego, California, a squadron of warships in Japan, and a strike group of warships, landing craft, helicopters, and jet aircraft, again in San Diego.

O’Connor was commissioned an ensign from the UVA Naval ROTC unit after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English. He rowed lightweight crew and was a member of Chi Psi fraternity.

David Cadaret (Col ’93, Educ ’04 CM) recently joined the faculty of the University of Washington School of Law as an associate teaching professor. Before accepting the appointment, Cadaret taught at the University of Oregon School of Law for 11 years.

Kate Granruth (Col ’21, Law ’24) has joined the law firm of Hollingsworth LLP as a first-year associate. During law school at UVA, Granruth was managing editor of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy and the Law, a student participant in the Innocence Project Clinic, and won the First Year Legal Research & Writing Best Brief Award.

She was also a participant in the Environmental Law & Community Engagement Clinic, a law clerk at Equal Rights Advocates, a legal research assistant at Southern Environmental Law Center, and an intern at the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center.

Based in Washington, D.C., Hollingsworth LLP is known for work that focuses the courts on sound science, particularly the lack of scientifically reliable causation evidence.

Howard M. Turner Jr. (Engr ’97) was hired as senior director of preconstruction and risk management for energy and technical Services at McKinstry, a national construction and energy services company dedicated to innovating waste and climate harm out of the built environment. Turner will lead preconstruction and risk management efforts for energy, sustainability, and decarbonization projects across the U.S., with a focus on existing facilities.

Edward Castillo (Col ’18 CM) has joined the Raleigh, North Carolina office of law firm Ogletree Deakins as an associate.

Chris Frey (Engr ’85) completed service as assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 30. In this presidentially nominated and U.S. Senate confirmed role, he also served as the agency’s science advisor and as co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Environment. He previously served ORD as deputy assistant administrator for science policy. To advance the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment, Frey provided strategic direction for research and science translation that addressed priority needs of internal and external EPA partners on climate change, environmental justice and contaminants of immediate and emerging concern, among other areas.

Frey returned to North Carolina State University Oct. 1, where he joined the College of Engineering’s leadership team in a new role as associate dean for research and infrastructure. He is also continuing in his previous role as the Glenn E. and Phyllis J. Futrell distinguished university professor of environmental engineering in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. He returns after a leave between 2021 and 2024 for his service at the EPA.

Since joining N.C. State’s faculty in 1994, Frey has established a research portfolio focused on measurement and modeling of human exposure to air pollution and vehicle emissions, as well as applications of probabilistic and sensitivity analysis methods to emissions estimation, technology assessment, and risk assessment.

Fang Guo (Grad ’16, ’17) has been promoted to principal at Cornerstone Research, a leading provider of economic and financial consulting and expert testimony. Guo consults on antitrust and competition, consumer fraud and product liability, intellectual property, and statistical sampling matters, primarily in the life sciences and health care industries. In these contexts, she has analyzed class certification, liability, market definition, market power, and damages, among other issues. She also assesses alleged anticompetitive delays of generic entry, estimates the competitive effects of vertical mergers, and evaluates alleged price fixing and pass-through along the supply chain.

David Tarleton (Col ’93) was hired as the chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University. He also teaches film directing in its nationally ranked film program. Previously, he served as the director of graduate programs in film at Columbia College Chicago. He has thirty years experience in the film and television industries as a producer, director and editor. He produced and directed the feature film, Hunter, and produced and directed the television series, Dark Secrets. He was executive producer and director for the streaming series, Dorkumentary, and worked with The Muppets for Disney. He and his wife, Adria Dawn, received an Emmy nomination in 2023 for Identity, their film project about transgender youth. Recently, he has been making Kids Matter, a series of socially relevant films for kids. After graduating from UVA, he studied film at New York University and received his M.F.A from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Erika Werner (Col ’98, Engr ’99, Res ’08 CM) was appointed president of the faculty practice at Tufts Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, where she is also the chair of obstetrics and gynecology and Louis E. Phaneuf Teaching and Research Professor.

Dr. Werner lives in Barrington, Rhode Island with her husband W. Frazier Bell (Educ ’98) and their two daughters.

Jessica Somers (Com ’04) has joined Aledade, the nation’s largest network of independent primary care, as chief financial officer. Somers joins Aledade from Evolent, a publicly traded company that specializes in improving health outcomes. At Evolent, Somers led the development and execution of strategic growth investments, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic partnerships.

Lauren Nguyen (Com ’15 CM) has been named controller and vice president of finance at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Nguyen oversees the organization’s finance and accounting functions, including accounts payable, grant reporting, audit and tax filings, and financial reporting, ensuring the Aquarium’s financial excellence and integrity. She also plays a crucial role in developing the aquarium’s economic strategy and sustainability planning.

Nguyen is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with previous experience at EY (formerly Ernst & Young) and 50CAN, an education advocacy nonprofit.

Arun Rao (Col ’98 CM) has joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its exceptional Global Investigations & White Collar Defense practice, effective October 28. He looks forward to working with his new colleagues and guiding clients through the complexities of the global regulatory environment.

Before joining GoldMark, Cafferty served as vice president of legal affairs at Combined Properties, a full-service real estate investment and development firm, specializing in the development and acquisition of high-quality office, residential, industrial, and retail properties in the Boston area. Cafferty received his J.D. from Boston College School of Law.

Kim Bridges (Col ’87 CM) has been promoted to associate professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. She joined the Department of Educational Leadership in 2018 after earning a doctorate in education leadership (Ed.L.D) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She directs the Ed.D. capstone experience, a year-long collaboration with graduate student teams and partner organizations. Her scholarship and facilitation work focus on local governance and state policy for sustainable K-12 improvement.

Karl Frisch (SCPS ’23 CM) was re-elected as chair of the Fairfax County (VA) School Board on July 11, 2024. With a $3.5 billion budget, 200 schools, 183,000 students, and 27,000 employees, Fairfax County Public Schools is Virginia’s largest and America’s ninth-largest public school system.

Frisch was elected in 2019 to represent Providence District on the school board, garnering more votes than any candidate for that office in the district’s history. In 2023, he was re-elected by a wider margin. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to local office in Virginia’s largest county.

Before joining the school board, Frisch was a nonprofit executive and public policy specialist. In addition to his work on the board, he serves on the board of directors for the University of Virginia Queer Alumni Network (QVA).

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.

Ashleigh J. Owens (Col ’06 CM) was named chief assistant district attorney of Richmond County, New York (Staten Island). She is the first woman to hold the position in the history of the county.

Ben Arthur (Col ’95) is launching the sixth season of his podcast, SongWriter, in which an author reads a song and a songwriter performs a song written in response. Past seasons have featured artists such as Questlove, Susan Orlean, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Roxane Gay, Joyce Carol Oates, Steve Earle, and others. This season will focus on elements of human flourishing like forgiveness, polarization, and empathy. SongWriter is also available as a live performance series.

Whitney Garrison Athayde (Col ’05 CM) has been promoted to managing consultant at AmPhil, where she helps mission-aligned nonprofits strengthen civil society by scaling their fundraising operations.  She works from a farm just north of Charlottesville where she and her husband also homestead and homeschool their four children.

Kaitlyn (Houck) Witman (Col ’12 CM) has been named co-CEO at Rainfactory, the company she co-founded in 2014. Rainfactory is a marketing agency for new technology product launches, crowdfunding, and pre-sales. She lives in Vienna, Virginia with husband Ben Witman (Engr ’12) and their three children. 

Steven Fox (Engr ’81 CM) is co-founder and Luke Fox (Engr ’15 CM) manager of eViation and Drone Academy, which provides classroom, flight training, and hands-on experience focused on the emerging Unmanned Aviation Systems and electric “green technologies” aviation markets. Opened in January 2024, the Academy is located at Hampton Roads Executive Airport in Chesapeake, Virginia. Its mission is to prepare students for the FAA Part 107 UAS Operator examination and to also provide specialized drone training for select use cases.

The Academy has agreements in place with Old Dominion University, NASA, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Virginia Tech, Hampton University,  Community College Workforce Alliance, school divisions in Virginia Beach and York County, Virginia, and New Horizons Regional Education Centers.

Justin Watkins (Col ’02 CM) has been promoted to major in the U.S. Army.  Maj. Watkins currently serves as an appellate defense attorney at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  He previously served in South Korea, Kentucky, Iraq, Germany, and Kuwait.  Next year, he will attend the Army’s Judge Advocate Officer’s Graduate Course in Charlottesville for a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Military Law.

Nicole Gates (Col ’09) has been promoted to Vice President, Legal, for Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Gates, who previously held the role of Senior Corporate Counsel, will manage the growing Dr. Seuss Enterprises legal team and, as a member of the executive leadership team, will provide strategic guidance on major corporate initiatives and a wide variety of operational matters.

Michael Palladino (Grad ’94) has been appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs at Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey. Palladino currently serves as vice chancellor for academic affairs at Bloomfield College of Montclair State University. His appointment is effective May 6.

Stockton Announces Next Provost – News | Stockton University

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Melanie Avery (Col ’99 CM) is leading a large data transformation and decision support team for BAE systems as Technical Program Manager for a cross-functional team of data scientists, software developers and business analysts in a data transformation and decision support division at DHS. She took on this role after serving at Veterans on the Rise, a 501(c)3 non-profit, for nine years while also working as a Management Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

Paul Alp (Arch ’91) has joined the law firm of Adams and Reese, where he serves as one of the co-leaders of the new Adams and Reese Aviation and Aerospace Team.

In addition to traditional matters for airlines and manufacturers, Alp focuses a substantial portion of his law practice on complex airworthiness, compliance and enforcement issues. He is an author of numerous articles on legal issues affecting the aviation and aerospace industry. He also holds a commercial pilot certificate and has worked as a flight instructor.

Arp received a J.D. from George Washington University and an LL.M. with a specialization in Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice from American University. He served as a partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block and as legal counsel at The Boeing Company.

Paul practices in the Washington, D.C. office.

Henry Legard (Com ’17 CM) and Niel Ketkar (Engr ’19 CM) have founded Verisoul, a platform that identifies fake accounts and bots by using Artificial Intelligence to analyze email, network, device, and user behavior. The product prevents sign-up promotions from being abused, reduces cybersecurity risk, improves user experience, and more.

Legard and Ketktar have raised $3.25M from investors, and are always looking to connect with fellow ’Hoos – either customers or potential employees.

Jim Roche (Darden ’06 CM) has been named president, BRP and CEO, Underwriting, Capacity, & Technology Operations at Baldwin Risk Partners, one of the largest insurance brokers in the United States.  

Roche has been at BRP since 2019, when he joined as part of the acquisition of Millennial Specialty Insurance (MSI), a firm which he founded in 2015.

Additionally, he has purchased a farm in Charlottesville near Foxfield to serve as a full-time residence upon retirement.

Capt. Jenny Sigel Burkett (Nursing ’97 CM) assumed command of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command, Camp Pendleton, California, on Aug. 4, 2023.  She is the first Nurse Corps officer to command the hospital.  She lives in Oceanside, California, with her husband C. Allen Burkett Jr., and children Emma, Lizbeth, and Clarence.

Steven Betz (Grad ’98) has joined the University of Michigan-Dearborn as government relations director.  In this role, he directs all university interactions with federal, state, and local officials.

Sharon E. Crane (Grad ’84) has joined Haynes and Boone, LLP as counsel in their Life Sciences practice group in Washington, D.C. Crane’s practice focuses on intellectual property matters in the biotech and pharmaceutical fields. She advises clients on drafting patents, challenging competitor patents and defending against infringement claims.

Robert Muckenfuss (Col ’93 CM) has been appointed as chair of McGuireWoods’ Financial Services and Securities Enforcement Department. Previously, Muckenfuss chaired the Commercial Litigation Department. He has over 20 years of experience representing financial institutions nationwide. 

Linda Lakhdhir (Col ’81 CM) has joined the NGO Climate Rights International as its legal director. CRI was founded in 2022 to focus on the intersection between climate change and human rights abuses, using on the ground research, detailed documentation and strategic advocacy to press for needed change. Lakhdhir previously served as Asia legal adviser for Human Rights Watch.

Juliana Yee (Col ’10 CM) has been promoted to partner at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.

Juliana focuses her practice on high-stakes disputes, including class actions, mass actions and trials in state and federal court and across a wide range of industries, including technology, entertainment, higher education and financial services. She helps companies navigate their most challenging and high-profile matters through all stages of litigation. Juliana also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration matters and civil rights. She is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and currently serves as the co-chair of the Development Committee of the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion.

Before joining the firm, Juliana clerked for Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and Judge Jay Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2019, she completed a three-month fellowship as a volunteer assistant district attorney for the San Francisco District Attorneys’ Office, first-chairing four criminal jury trials to a verdict.

Jane E. Hardy (Col ’85) was recently named senior associate dean at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Jessica Bantom (Col ’98 CM) recently joined integrated design firm DLR Group as their global leader for equity, diversity and belonging. This role is the culmination of her career spanning management consulting, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and interior design consulting. She released her first book, Design for Identity: How to Design Authentically for a Diverse World, in April 2023, and is currently teaching a course based on her book at Marymount University.

Joe Averbach (Col ’09) has been promoted to partner at Potomac Point Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in transformative initiatives across the housing finance industry. This election underscores his substantial contributions to the firm and the immense value he has brought to its clients in the financial services industry since joining the team in 2013.

In his ten years with PPG, Joe has steered initiatives with precision and a deep understanding of his clients’ specific challenges. He has led teams through major organizational, process, and technology efforts across both the single and multifamily housing markets. Joe’s experience encompasses a wide range of functions, including originations, servicing, asset management, and securitization.

Before joining PPG, Joe worked as a strategy consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, where he spearheaded business process improvement efforts for Department of Defense clients. Before that, he was an in-house operations consultant at Freddie Mac.

 McCauley Williams (Col ’11) has launched Alma Del Jaguar Tequila, a company committed to wild jaguar preservation in northern Mexico. Williams was inspired by his uncle Rick, a wildlife photographer who moved to Mexico in the 1990s to study wild jaguars and co-founded the Northern Jaguar Project, a bi-national effort between conservationists from the U.S. and Mexico to preserve and recover the world’s northernmost population of endangered wild jaguars and their unique habitats.  

Alma De Jaguar’s second release is a handcrafted 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila Reposado that is sustainably produced and additive-free.

Alma del Jaguar’s Reposado and its first release, Alma del Jaguar Blanco, are available online nationwide.

Learn more at www.almadeljaguar.com.