“Move/Relocation” Class Notes

Steven Munger (Col ’89 CM) is joining the faculty of the UVa School of Medicine as a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, where he will continue his research into the function and dysfunction of the senses of smell and taste and direct a new center focused on the science of smell, taste, hearing, speech and balance. Dr. Munger has served as the director of the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste since 2016, is a past-president of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, and is the editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Chemical Senses. He and his wife, Caroline Worrall (Darden ’98 CM), a financial consultant, will move to Charlottesville in the spring of 2024.

Mark Trank (Law ’90 CM) and his wife Andrea Trank (Col ’80, Educ ’97, ’04 CM) have moved back to Virginia after 15 years in southwest Florida. Mark, who has spent more three decades in legal practice and has a passion for aiport law, has joined the Norfolk Airport Authority as senior vice president and general Counsel.  Mark and Andrea live in Norfolk’s historic Ghent district and will be welcoming their three sons and their wives and significant others, and especially their 4-year old granddaughter to their new home. 

Marcie Dickson (Col ’06) has joined the executive leadership team of National Arbitration and Mediation, one of the nation’s leading providers of Alternative Dispute Resolution services. She will serve as President of Tapestry ADR, a new division of NAM formed to accelerate the development and promotion of strategic initiatives including expansion in key markets, new services and technology solutions, DEIAB and strategic partnerships. 

Marcie is an industry veteran, and she is a staunch promoter of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging in ADR. 

Brandon Possin (Col ’05 CM) moved to Tokyo, Japan, in 2021 to serve at the U.S. Embassy. Possin will lead the mission’s health, biotechnology, space, science and computing diplomacy initiatives. Among his goals are developing plans for U.S.-Japan lunar surface exploration missions, tightening cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, finalizing civil space negotiations, advancing U.S.-Japan cooperation in Latin America and Africa, boosting U.S.-Japan research collaboration in quantum computing, attracting venture capital to fuel the growth of Japanese startups and advancing bilateral cancer research programs. He will also serve as the post representative for the White House-led Joint High-Level Science and Technology Committee.

Alden Abbott (Col ’74 CM) joined the Mercatus Center at George Mason University as Senior Research Fellow in January 2021. He runs a research program on antitrust and competition policy. From 2018-2021, Abbott served as general counsel of the Federal Trade Commission. He was an adjunct professor at George Mason (now Scalia) Law School from 1991-2018. In August, the Mercatus Center released his podcast interview on antitrust and Christianity, featuring a discussion with UVA Economics Professor Kenneth Elzinga and University of Michigan Professor Dan Crane.

Angela Cleveland (Col ’87 CM) and her family have moved from Europe back to the USA and are now based in Houston, where Angela works in mergers and acquisitions/new business development for Shell Exploration and Production covering upstream, integrated gas and new energies.

Ben Tisdell (Com ’97 CM) and Alexis Siggers (Col ’99 CM) relocated to the Washington, D.C. area with their three children after seven years living in Asia. Ben oversees international loan workouts and other special situations for the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group. Alexis is a high school special education teacher.

Patricia Viar Heath (Nurs ’70) moved to a retirement community in Ruckersville, Virginia. with her husband. After completing graduate studies at the University of Arizona, she worked as a clinical nurse specialist and as a nurse educator for 37 years in Texas and in Arizona.

Leslie Fitzgerald McMurray (Col ’01 L/M) and her family recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, following her husband’s retirement from the U.S. Navy. McMurray has joined Cameron Carmichael, a boutique retained executive search firm specializing in healthcare and private equity backed portfolio company opportunities. 

Brandon Possin (Col ’05 L/M) moved to Bogotá, Colombia, in August 2019 to serve on the Venezuela Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy. The unit is continuing the U.S. mission to the legitimate government of Venezuela and works for the restoration of democracy and the constitutional order in that country. Possin serves as deputy economic counselor while coordinating U.S. humanitarian relief efforts for Venezuela. He has worked as a Foreign Service officer since 2007, serving at U.S. Embassies in Argentina, Indonesia, Pakistan and Peru.

Gary Torrell (Law ’83) joined Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, a national law firm focused on health care, as a partner. Torrell’s practice covers business transactions and litigation for heath care and other clients in the practice areas of real estate, leasing, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, finance, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy, and business litigation.  

James Raven (Col ’15 L/M) has recently moved to New York City and is an evaluation associate at Alvarez and Marsal.

Barry Hall (Col ’70 L/M) and his wife moved in May 2018 to the Ashby Ponds retirement community in Ashburn, Virginia, after 33 years in Falls Church, Virginia. 

Kelly Cope-Randall (Col ’00) moved to Houston, Texas.

Jasmine Drake (Col ’13 L/M) has relocated to the Washington D.C. Metro Area and would love to connect with Wahoos in the area. She is originally from New York City (Boogie Down Bronx, to be exact).

She hopes everyone is thriving and striving in their careers and personal endeavors! She is forever indebted to UVA for the lifetime of friendships she created and personal development.

Eric C. Rudenshiold (Grad ’90) was named a director at the National Security Council in the South Asia Directorate. While serving at the White House, Rudenshiold will be on leave from the United States Agency for International Development and George Washington University’s Elliott School of Foreign Affairs.