“Job” Class Notes
Donald Delson (Law ’80 CM)
Donald Delson (Law ’80 CM) serves as president of the board of trustees of Chester Charter Scholars Academy, a 700-student K-12 charter school in Chester, Pennsylvania entering its second decade. Delson is also a developer of 110 Park Avenue, a 30-unit upscale condominium project in downtown Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Cordelia, will be married 50 years in June 2023.
David Susman (Col ’81 CM)
David Susman (Col ’81 CM) has been named executive advisor for clinical services in the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Susman, a licensed clinical psychologist, is a former president of the Kentucky Psychological Association and a current member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and 2023 chair of the APA Council of Representatives Leadership Team.
Carin Beaubien (Col ’89 CM)
Carin M. Smilk (Col ’89 CM) became editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times in September 2022. She has worked as a journalist for nearly 30 years, most recently for the Jerusalem-based online news site JNS.org. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and four sons.
Lynlee Palmer (Col ’98)
Lynlee W. Palmer (Col ’98 CM) has joined Jackson Lewis P.C., where she will serve in the litigation group for the Birmingham, Alabama office. The firm specializes in national labor and employment law.
Lynlee brings a depth of experience representing both public and private employers. She has represented clients before the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board and more.
Robert Graboyes (Col ’76 CM)
Robert F. Graboyes (Col ’76 CM) is now owner and president of RFG Counterpoint, LLC in Alexandria, Virginia. Through his firm, he does economic consulting, journalism, and music production. He publishes BASTIAT’S WINDOW, a Substack journal devoted to economics, ethics, health, technology, and culture. He is also a FAIR in Medicine Fellow (where FAIR = Foundation Against Racism and Intolerance). His musical performances and compositions are on his YouTube channel.
Darleen Opfer (Educ ’97)
V. Darleen Opfer (Educ ’90, ’97 CM), vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor, was appointed to the board of directors for the Council for Aid to Education, Inc. (CAE). CAE is a nonprofit developer of assessments that measure students’ essential academic and career skills. Opfer leads a staff of more than 200 research experts who are focused on using evidence to improve schools for low-income and minority students. In addition to her role with RAND Education and Labor, Opfer holds the Distinguished Chair in Education Policy at RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.
Howard Turner (Engr ’97)
Howard Turner (Engr ’97) was named North American Director of Energy Preconstruction Services for Trane Technologies. Turner and his team are responsible for conceiving, designing and ensuring the constructability of projects that enable clients to achieve their decarbonization and sustainability goals.
Paul Davis (Col ’97)
Paul Davis (Col ’97 CM) has created The Bank Slate, a website dedicated to news and perspectives for the financial services industry. The Bank Slate also has a weekly newsletter and contributes content to the American Bankers Association. Davis is also the Director of Market Intelligence at Strategic Resource Management, a consulting and advisory firm in Memphis, Tennessee.
Madeleine Fontana (Col ’17)
Madeleine McDonald (Col ’17 CM) was married to Anthony Fontana in 2021 and graduated from Mercer University’s Physician Assistant Program in 2022, receiving the faculty’s distinguished student award among other academic honors. Madeleine and Anthony live in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is employed as a physician assistant in an internal medicine practice.
Jonathan Havens (Col ’05)
Jonathan Havens (Col ’05 CM) was appointed managing partner of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP’s office in Baltimore, Maryland. As managing partner, Mr. Havens functions as the office’s chief executive. In his practice, Mr. Havens counsels clients on regulatory, compliance, enforcement and transactional matters related to products regulated by numerous federal and state agencies. Since 2019, he has been listed in Chambers USA for his nationwide cannabis law practice, and in 2021 he was named a Rising Star by Law360. In 2020, Mr. Havens was selected to serve on Law360’s inaugural Cannabis Editorial Advisory Board, and in 2018 he was named to the National Law Journal’s inaugural Cannabis Law Trailblazers list.
Brian Ball (Col ’73, Law ’76 CM)
Brian Ball (Col ’73, Law ’76 CM), former Secretary of Commerce and Trade of Virginia, has been named “of counsel” to Williams Mullen. Before serving as secretary, Ball was with the firm for almost 30 years, where he was a partner, served as general counsel and was a member of the firm’s board of directors. He will rejoin the Corporate Section to support and serve the firm’s Economic Development Team, where he will assist clients and their consultants with business expansion and related needs.
Thomas Taylor (Educ ’09)
Mayme Donohue (Col ’07 CM)
Mayme Beth F. Donohue (Col ’07 CM) has been promoted to counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. A member of the firm’s corporate team, Donohue counsels clients on securities law matters, capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues. She regularly answers complex securities law questions for both public and private companies and advises clients on reporting requirements under U.S. securities laws and Nasdaq and NYSE rules. She is also a leader of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s metaverse and blockchain working groups, and is associate editor of the firm’s Blockchain Legal Resource blog.
Leigh Anne Kelley (Col ’89)
Leigh Anne Kelley (Col ’89 CM) has been named director of communications for the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
In her new role, Kelley will help shape and direct an integrated communication strategy for the institute, whose world-class research teams are working to better understand human health and develop innovative approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease.
Kelley brings 20 years of professional media experience to the institute’s communications team as a writer, editor, designer, and content manager for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and digital media. She guided coverage of the commonwealth’s growing tech sector as managing editor of Virginia Business magazine and became a faculty member at Radford University in 2006.
Christine Hollins (Col ’91 CM)
Christine Hollins (Col ’91 CM) has been named chief development officer at the UVA Alumni Association. She serves as vice-chair of the Volunteer Board at The Fralin Museum of Art and lives in Charlottesville with her husband and daughter.
Andrew Joyner (Col ’97 CM)
Andrew William Joyner (Col ’97 CM) was named associate director of development at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce. Joyner spent the three previous years as assistant director of development at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Andrew and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Crozet with their three children.
Fred Karnas (Arch ’71)
Fred Karnas (Arch ’71) recently completed a term as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He was asked to join the leadership team focused on addressing evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic based on his career work as a deputy assistant secretary at HUD in the Clinton Administration, senior advisor to the HUD Secretary in the Obama Administration, and housing cabinet member for Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. He has now returned to his leadership of the Mental Health Strategic Impact Initiative (S2i), a national entity focused on improving mental health policy and practice, and his work on behalf of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation.
Eric Patashnik (Col ’87 CM)
Eric Patashnik (Col ’87 CM) has been appointed chair of Brown University’s Political Science Department.
Ann McCollum (Educ ’93)
Anne McCollum (Educ ’93) recently joined the Recreation Law Group, of Driggs, Idaho, opening a New Mexico office. The firm focuses on risk management consulting and recreation law. She worked in classroom and outdoor experiential education and risk management for schools, camps, and youth development programs, and has relied on the counseling skills gained at the UVA School of Education and Human Development during the past five years working as a criminal defense attorney. She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2016. She has trekked and biked extensively in Nepal, Tibet, and the India Himalaya, as well as most recently in the Italian Dolomites.
Neva Bryan (Col ’89 CM)
Neva Bryan (Col ’89 CM) has been named Senior Director of Academic Enhancement and Coordinator of National Awards and Fellowships at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Previously she served as Director of Career Discovery and Planning at UVA Wise.
Michael Todd (Grad ’07 CM)
Michael Todd (Grad ’07 CM) has been named VP for Finance & Administration at Lehigh University. He most recently served as COO at Franklin & Marshall College.
Andrew Topps (Col ’93 CM)
Andrew Topps (Col ’93 CM) has been promoted to Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the American Forest & Paper Association, effective September 1.
In his new role, Topps will be responsible for the association’s legal affairs and governance issues and providing overall direction of the association as a member of the senior leadership team. Topps joined AF&PA’s legal team in 2010 and currently serves as Deputy General Counsel.
During his time at AF&PA, he has helped formulate and implement the association’s approach to various issues, including antitrust compliance, key environmental issues, employment law, lobbying guidance and corporate compliance. In addition to his legal work, his facilitation of AF&PA’s Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging Team has enhanced the association’s respectful work environment and strengthened the organization.
David Thompson (Com ’01)
David Scott Thompson (Com ’01 CM) has announced that he is joining forces with Doug Rohan, another workers’ compensation attorney in Atlanta, to provide more resources to better serve their clients. Thompson, who has been in Atlanta since enrolling at Emory University School in 2001, will also be helping with marketing.
Erik Larsen (Engr ’90 CM)
Erik Larsen (Engr ’90 CM) started a new job as a proposal manager at Maxar Technologies – Assembly, Integration & Test Group. Previously, he was an engineering fellow at Bombardier Transportation/Alstom.
Jordan McElwain (Col ’14)
Jordan McElwain (Col ’14 CM) has taken on a new role as the first content marketing hire at Chapter, a Medicare Advisor with a simple commitment: it’s impossible to find a better Medicare recommendation or better support anywhere else. Chapter’s team and technology search every Medicare option nationwide at an unprecedented level of detail.
The company aligns with McElwain’s life goal of helping underserved populations.
Kailey Hamrick (Col ’17)
Kailey Leinz (Col ’17 CM), Dani Burger (Col ’14) and Kriti Gupta (Col ’18 CM) were part of a rare and fun moment, when the Bloomberg TV anchors appeared together on the show Bloomberg Surveillance: Early Edition. They played up the UVA connection throughout the program.
Andrew Buie-Moltz (Col ’08 CM)
David Buie-Moltz (Col ’08 CM) started a new job as director of advancement communications at the UVA Darden School of Business Foundation in July 2022. Previously, he was director of strategic communications for UVA Health.
Jasmine Hall Ratliff (Col ’99 CM)
Jasmine Hall Ratliff (Col ’99 CM) recently joined Build Missouri Health as its inaugural executive director. In this role she will establish a strategic plan, branding and other activities to launch the statewide nonprofit addressing health equity in Missouri.
Patricia Sasser (Col ’99 CM)
Patricia (Anyaso) Sasser (Col ’99 CM) recently moved with her family to Raleigh, North Carolina to start her new job as the Assistant Head of School at Saint Mary’s School. Saint Mary’s is an all-girls boarding and day Episcopal school serving grades 9-12 founded in1842.
Henry Frey (Engr ’85)
Chris Frey (Engr ’85) is on leave from North Carolina State University to serve as Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was nominated for this role by President Biden in January 2022 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2022. He also serves as the EPA Science Advisor.
Michael Trimble (Col ’04 CM)
Lt. Col. Michael Trimble (Col ’04 CM), USAF, on May 25 completed a two-year tour as Squadron Commander and C-130J Instructor Pilot, 19th Operations Support Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The 19th Operations Support Squadron enables the combat airlift mission of the 19th Operations Group, operating the airfield and providing mission scheduling, aircrew training, combat tactics instruction and development, aircrew flight equipment, aviation resource management, weather forecasting, and joint airdrop inspection for two AMC flying squadrons of 32 C-130J aircraft and 327 aircrew members.
Judith Hermis (Com ’09 CM)
Judith Hermis (Com ’09 CM) joined the faculty of Saint Mary’s College of California in January as an assistant professor of accounting in the School of Economics and Business Administration. She was previously on the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her research examines how accounting information enhances decision-making at the intersection of the public and private sectors.
John Markowitz (Col ’05)
John Markowitz (Col ’05) was appointed Deputy Secretary of Finance for the Commonwealth of Virginia by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Margaret Rankovic (Col ’04, Educ ’05)
Margaret Rankovic (Col ’04, Educ ’05) has been promoted to Director of Content and Education at the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Program. She manages the development of new content and oversees projects related to ethics, regulatory and compliance topics in areas of clinical research. She is a member of Harvard’s Health Literacy in Clinical Research working group, the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative single Institutional Review Board, ClinicalTrials.gov reporting challenges project teams and the Clinical Trials Registration and Results Reporting Taskforce consortium. She and her husband and their three sons reside in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Steven Longstreet (Col ’05)
Steven Longstreet (Col ’05 CM) has been appointed senior vice president, data & analytics, at ExecOnline, the pioneer of online leadership development for enterprises. Longstreet will lead enterprise data & analytics, driving enterprise business impact through data, analytics, insights, and strengthening a data culture that ensures continued improvement and increased value for customers. Longstreet will play a key role in enabling ExecOnline to deliver impact through its proprietary methodology and partnerships with the world’s top business schools. Longstreet has more than 15 years of experience in strategy, product management, and analytics, including roles as global head of advanced analytics, BI, and automation for Hilton, and independent consulting for Fortune 100 companies in product, data and analytics. Longstreet also held senior management, data science and analyst roles at CDT Dynamics, Concentric Methods, and eStara. Longstreet is an AI & Data Science Standards Board Member for General Assembly, a pioneer in education and career transformation.
Suzannah Evans Comfort (Col ’03)
Suzannah Evans Comfort (Col ’03 CM) was promoted to associate professor in the Journalism unit of the Media School at Indiana University.
Kendall Jones (Col ’89 CM)
Kendall Jones (Col ’89 CM) has been named the General Counsel of California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., and all of its affiliated companies.
Dan Vick (Col ’84 CM)
Dr. Dan Vick (Col ’84 CM) assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer of MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, Maine, effective Mar. 28, 2022. MaineGeneral Medical Center is a 198-bed community hospital with 4,000 employees and over 600 medical staff members. Most recently, Dr. Vick was on the Graduate Teaching Faculty in the Master of Health Administration program at Central Michigan University.
Joshua Richards (Col ’09, Grad ’10)
Josh Richards (Col ’09, Grad ’10 CM) has been promoted to Corporate Director, ESG at Transwestern, an integrated commercial real estate services, development and investment management firm. In this role, Richards is responsible for expanding engagement across the various companies to identify, track and communicate ESG goals and key performance indicators; advocating for responsible, proactive programming that advances the brand and mission of Transwestern and its clients; evaluating partnerships and opportunities to deliver resources at the leading edge of industry; and reporting progress against the firm’s commitments to all stakeholders.
Richards joined Transwestern in 2017 as Director of Sustainability for Asset Services. During his tenure, he advanced Transwestern’s energy and sustainability platform through extensive benchmarking and compliance of the firm’s managed assets, educating internal and external audiences on the value and implementation of ESG and increasing transparency through integrated communications and reporting.
Additionally, Richards reinforced the firm’s commitment to culture by leading the Transwestern Experience, a unique approach to customer service. He is also actively involved in the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, leading the national Awareness and Belonging Committee which provides resources and strategies to create a more open and inclusive work environment.
Nicole Darden Ford (Com ’07)
Nicole Darden Ford (Com ’07) has joined Rockwell Automation as vice president and chief information security officer. Darden Ford joins Rockwell from Carrier, where she was global vice president and chief information security Officer, overseeing global information security, compliance and product cybersecurity through the company’s spin-off from parent company United Technologies Corporation. Prior to Carrier, she was global vice president and chief information security officer for Baxter International, where she had global responsibility for information security, information governance and IT quality compliance. Darden Ford began her career in the U.S. military and federal government, including for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, handling security, network engineering, and telecommunications.
Darden Ford is also passionate about building and growing teams, fostering culture, and focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. She currently serves on the boards of IT-ISAC, South Florida Tech Hub and the Lola Mercedes Parker Foundation. She will remain located in Jupiter, FL.
R. Bradford Mills (Col ’83)
R. Bradford Mills (Col ’83 CM) joined the Philadelphia-area food bank Caring for Friends in January 2022. Founded in 1974, the organization distributed 14 million pounds of prepared meals and fresh produce to homebound seniors and other needy people in 2021.
Alyson Steele (Arch ’94)
Alyson Steele (Arch ’94), Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and LEED Accredited Professional, has been elected president and chief executive officer of Quinn Evans, a nationally recognized architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture and historic preservation firm. Steele will oversee more than 200 professionals in six offices. She is widely known for her work in museum design and the revitalization of cultural institutions and landmarks across the nation. Her work emphasizes the long-term, sustainable stewardship of cultural resources. Steele’s clients include the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. During her tenure as executive, Quinn Evans has grown rapidly while increasing minority representation among its staff as well as company ownership by women.
Catherine Esteves (Col ’97)
Katie Esteves (Col ’97) has been named Director/Owner of Truity Partners. Late last year, Katie and seven others participated in a management buy-out of Baker Tilly Search and Staffing. Truity Partners LLC is an award-winning staffing and recruiting agency with finance, accounting and human resources as their specialties. Their 60 professionals maintain extensive candidate networks in Chicagoland, the Twin Cities and Wisconsin. They offer temporary staffing and consulting as well as directing hire solutions in their local geography along with executive search on a nationwide basis. Visit https://truitypartners.com/ for more information.
Erica Kraus (Col ’06)
Erica Kraus (Col ’06) is one of 24 attorneys promoted to partner at law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Resident in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Kraus is a member of the firm’s corporate practice group and healthcare team. Erica represents healthcare entities in regulatory compliance matters, and her practice focuses on navigating regulatory demands and resolving compliance challenges to allow clients to achieve their business and operational goals. She provides clients with counseling on operations, new ventures and strategic transactions; support in developing compliance programs and protocols and managing internal investigations; assistance in responding to government investigations; and representation in False Claims Act litigation. She also has extensive experience with value-based care arrangements, as well as with the unique regulatory requirements and flexibilities applicable to value-based care. Kraus leverages her background in health policy to help clients maximize opportunities in the changing healthcare landscape. In addition to receiving her B.A. from UVA, she received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her A.M. in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Adam Ambrogi (Col ’98)
Adam Ambrogi (Col ’98 CM) recently took the job as Senior Director for Voting and Elections with the League of Women Voters. Ambrogi joins the League’s growing team and will expand the organization’s impact on voting rights and election administration.
“I am thrilled to have Adam join the League at a pivotal moment in our country when voting rights are under attack,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “Adam brings to the League a wealth of experience in voting and elections advocacy as well as philanthropy and strategy. We’re excited to have him join us as we continue our fight to expand voting rights for all Americans.”
Prior to joining the League, Ambrogi served for several years as Director of the Elections and Voting Program at the Democracy Fund. In that role, he led efforts in grantmaking, strategy, research and advocacy to improve the quality of elections and voting. Ambrogi has previous experience at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and on Capitol Hill as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, addressing a wide range of issues related to rules of the Senate, election law and policy.
“I am excited to join the League of Women Voters in this new role as we expand our presence in the local, state and federal space,” said Ambrogi. “The potential to create impact with LWV’s ability to combine grassroots and organizing relationships of over 800 Leagues with national insight and strategy can be transformational to protect and promote the vote. I can’t wait to help build that vision, look for new areas of growth and expand our partnerships throughout the country.”
David Meredith (Com ’03)
David Meredith (Com ’03) has been appointed chief executive officer and board director of Boomi, the intelligent connectivity and automation leader that instantly connects everyone to everything with its cloud-native, unified, open, and intelligent platform that serves more than 18,000 customers globally.
Leading technology investors Francisco Partners and TPG spun Boomi out of Dell for $4 billion – one of largest software growth-equity deals ever. Boomi pioneered the intelligent use of data and has been named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant for eight consecutive years.
Meredith has nearly 30 years of experience serving in senior executive leadership and board director roles across both multi-billion-dollar public companies as well as PE-backed technology-focused firms.
Meredith ranked Top 50 in the largest company category by Comparably for Best CEO (2020) and Best CEO for Diversity (2021) and earned a CEO rating of A+, measured across 60,000+ companies. He received a distinguished Globee® Award in the Visionary category as part of The 9th Annual 2021 CEO World Awards. In 2016, The Uptime Institute recognized David’s contributions to the industry by presenting him with their Change Leader Award. Georgia Trend Magazine named him a “Top 40 under 40 – Best and Brightest Leader” in 2008.
Kevin Ryan (Law ’96)
Kevin Ryan (Law ’96) in October marked one year as CFO at digital-first homeownership company Better. Helping grow Better has been one of the most exciting challenges of his life and he is excited to be a part of the team as Better seeks to transform the real estate industry, and make homeownership easier and cheaper for everyone.
Allyson Gold (Col ’06)
Allyson E. Gold (Col ’06 CM) joined the faculty of Wake Forest University School of Law as Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and director of the university’s new Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic.
GAYLA KRAETSCH HARTSOUGH (Educ ’78, Grad ’78)
Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough (Educ ’78, Grad ’78 CM) just completed her year as Executive Director for the first-ever independent redistricting commission for the most populous county in the United States, which comprises 10 million people. The role of the Los Angeles County Citizens Redistricting Commission (LA County CRC) was to establish the boundary lines for the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors following the federal decennial census. As an independent commission, the LA County CRC’s approved map is the final map and cannot be redrawn by the Board of Supervisors.
Hartsough and her team confronted many challenges in setting up a new independent commission, compounded by census data delays, the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in hybrid and virtual meetings, and increased public awareness of the importance of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. For example, between November 1, 2021, and December 12, 2021, more than 3,200 individuals attended or watched on YouTube the 14 meetings and public hearings held. 4,200 members of the public made oral presentations or submitted written comments during that same period. The LA County CRC’s approach can serve as a model for other local and state jurisdictions in the coming years.
Hartsough will now refocus her energies on her firm, KH Consulting Group, which she established 35 years ago.
For more information on the LA County CRC, go to:
Website: https://redistricting.lacounty.gov/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/LACountyRedistricting/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedistrictingLACounty
Laura Blasi (Educ ’02)
Laura Blasi (Educ ’02) joined the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in December as a Program Officer focused on evaluation in the National Research Council Executive Office in Washington, D.C. More about the Academies is available online: https://www.nationalacademies.org
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