“Other” Class Notes

Jane Hardy (Col ’85) was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of Spanish at Wabash College. Ms. Hardy joined the Wabash faculty in 2006, having taught previously at Indiana University, St. Michael’s College, the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, and at the Slovenian Ministry of Defense’s School of Foreign Languages. Her teaching focuses on second-language acquisition, language teaching methodology and study abroad. Since 2008, she has accompanied Wabash students and faculty to Ecuador as part of the Wabash Ecuador Summer Study Program.

Eric Paltell (Col ’83, Law ’87 CM) was inducted into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in November 2014. Mr. Paltell is a partner in the labor and employment law group at Kollman & Saucier in Baltimore, where he represents public and private employers and mediates employment disputes for both private litigants and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He and his wife, Kristina Auth Paltell (Col ’83 L/M), have two daughters, Skyler, a senior at the College of William and Mary, and Katherine Charlotte “K.C.” Paltell (Col ’17 L/M).

Rita Sheffey (Col ’78 CM) has been appointed assistant dean for public service at Emory University, effective January 2015. Previously, Ms. Sheffey was a partner in the Atlanta office of Hunton & Williams, where she worked for 27 years and spearheaded the development of the firm’s pro bono program, including the foundation of the Southside Legal Center, a pro bono clinic that serves area residents.

Diane Wilkin (Col ’77) was recently elected president of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association. Previously, she served on the PAEA board as both secondary division director and awards chairperson. Ms. Wilkin is a high school art teacher in the Bristol Township School District in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where she instructs students in studio and critical design thinking through crafts and design, sculpture, general arts and both digital and film photography. She exhibits her own creative work and serves as a board member for the Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Association in Philadelphia.

Joni House (Col ’77 CM) was recently named executive vice president of Alexander Proudfoot, a global operations management consulting firm. She has more than 20 years of experience in directing organizational change that focuses on increased productivity, reduced costs and improved financial results. Previously, Ms. House served as assistant vice president—client executive at Aricent, a KKR-owned engineering and software services company, and as president and chief executive officer of The Grayfen Group Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in cost reduction.

Jill Tietjen (Engr ’76 CM) has been named chief executive officer of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, which is located in Seneca Falls, New York. She has a long affiliation with the hall, having attended every induction ceremony since 1994, and has served on the hall’s board of directors since 2009, most recently as president.

C. Hein (Col ’76, Grad ’82 CM) has been named to the board of trustees of the George C. Marshall Foundation, which perpetuates the legacy of George C. Marshall through various conferences and symposia, a museum, a research library and archives, and more. Mr. Hein is a professor of religion and philosophy at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where he has taught since 1983.

Christopher D’Angelo (Col ’75, Law ’78) recently served as moderator and speaker for the 2014 International Corporate Counsel College, organized and presented in Europe each year by the International Association of Defense Counsel. The “Data: The Gold of the XXI Century” conference was held in Milan, Italy, and explored the legal and practical challenges faced by multinational companies in the creation, use and protection of data as a corporate asset, privacy issues, information governance and asset protection, cybersecurity, crisis management, the “butterfly effect” and cyber risk and insurance. Mr. D’Angelo is chair of Montgomery McCracken’s international practice and co-chair of the firm’s product liability, toxic torts and catastrophic events practice. He serves as national counsel for several major U.S. clients and represents foreign concerns in the U.S. and U.S. concerns abroad.

Herbert Slatery (Col ’74 CM) was sworn in as the 27th attorney general and reporter of the state of Tennessee on Oct. 1, 2014. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. David Bowen (Col ’74), Mr. Slatery’s close friend and former UVA roommate. Previously, Mr. Slatery served for four years as chief legal counsel to Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee and before that worked as an attorney for 30 years in the Knoxville, Tennessee, law firm of Egerton McAfee Armistead & Davis.

David Rojohn (Engr ’74) recently retired after providing more than 40 years of civil engineering, construction and maintenance services to Gulf Oil and Bettis Atomic Power Laboratories near Pittsburgh. Interested in future endeavors, he retains his Professional Engineer designation. He recently collaborated with his sister, his son and a friend on a published short story, “Journey of the Piggyback Flight Pilot,” which tells of his father’s heroic aviation efforts during the “Piggyback Flight” of World War II. Mr. Rojohn plans to continue writing and publishing with his wife, Sharon, while in the meantime polishing a rusty golf game.

Frank Riggs (Law ’74 CM) was named “Lawyer of the Year” 2015 by Best Lawyers in America for litigation in construction law in Atlanta. A partner in the construction group of Troutman Sanders, he focuses his practice on construction law matters, including the counseling of public and private owners, general contractors, construction managers, equipment suppliers and more. Mr. Riggs is also a fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers.

Susan Schmidt (Grad ’73) published a coming-of-age novel, Song of Moving Water, set in 1970s Virginia. The book tests whether new environmental laws can save a river from a proposed dam. She also published a new collection of poems, Salt Runs in My Blood, which tells her personal journey: she recalls bright parrots, big trout, sea gales, Celtic ancestry, old loves, traveling the world, learning to navigate and more. Ms. Schmidt currently works as a book editor, but previously worked as a science policy analyst, sailboat captain and professor of literature and environmental decision-making.

David Lavine (Med ’72) was recently honored by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Association of Plastic Surgeons for his proposal for the “ICON Project,” a video project that will honor living pioneers in the field of plastic surgery. Among the subjects Dr. Lavine has interviewed for the project is Dr. Milton Edgerton, who in 1970 established the department of plastic surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and went on to break new ground in many areas of plastic surgery, including craniofacial surgery, head and neck tumor and reconstruction surgery, and gender reassignment surgery. Gerard Grau (Med ’72) and Mark Constantian (Med ’72 L/M) provided research assistance and support for the project.

David Kuney (Col ’67, Law ’73 CM) joined the Washington, D.C., office of Whiteford Taylor & Preston. A nationally recognized bankruptcy attorney who has represented many prominent clients, Mr. Kuney joins the firm after working for 13 years as a partner and senior counsel at Sidley Austin. He has taught at American University Washington College of Law, Georgetown Law and New York Law School. He currently works with law students at Georgetown in drafting and preparing amicus curiae briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court and is the lead author of The Single Asset Real Estate Case, published in 2012 by the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Lionel Rowe (Educ ’56 CM) and his grandson, Billy Rowe, competed in the 2014 United States Tennis Association’s Grandfather and Grandson Hard Court Doubles tournament held at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, California. Attaining the final round and placing second in the tournament, they each received a silver miniature tennis ball in a wooden case. In 2012, the pair won the finals and each received a gold tennis ball. Billy Rowe is currently a junior at Coronado High School in Coronado, California, where he is a member of the varsity tennis team. Rebel Rowe continues to play on the Coronado Men’s Tennis Ladder.

Winifred Schumann (Educ ’49) published her eleventh book, Winifred’s Memories, Vol. 11, for family and friends. Other published books also focus on the history and works of family members, and include Hope McNevin Family 1736-2007; Short Stories for Children by Euphemia Dean MacNiven O’Connor; and Poems by Ernst Friedrich Schumann, a selection of poetry written by Ms. Schumann’s husband’s great uncle and translated by Ms. Schumann from German to English. She has also published a three-volume poetry series, Miscellany of Poems, a collection of poems composed by several of her ancestors and relatives.

Marney White (Com ’91) has been named “Teacher of the Year” by the Yale School of Public Health class of 2014. She considers this to be her greatest honor since being elected “Biggest Loafer” by the McIntire School of Commerce class of 1991. Professor White is an associate professor of psychiatry and chronic disease epidemiology at Yale University, where she also serves as associate director of the Yale Center for Anxiety and Mood Disorders. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with her spouse and children.

Kristin Romesburg (Col ’02 CM) and Jason Romesburg (Col ’02 L/M) welcomed a son, Owen Maxwell, on Nov. 3, 2014. He joins big sister Anne Katherine, 3. The family currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Yevonne Chandler (Com ’02 CM) and Yevonne Simms Chandler (Com ’02 L/M) welcomed a son, Bennett Rooke, on Oct. 16, 2014. Bennett is the nephew of Peyton Chandler (Col ’01 L/M), Kristy Thomas Chandler (Col ’01) and Elizabeth “Carter” Chandler Clements (Col ’99); and the grandson of Wanda Rooke Chandler (Educ ’02). The Chandlers currently reside in Atlanta.

Christopher Kimbel (Col ’06 CM) and Stephanie Kirk Kimbel (Col ’06 L/M) welcomed their first child, a daughter, Elliott Katherine, on Sept. 15, 2014. The family currently resides in Atlanta.

Jerome Magat (Col ’95 CM) is a seminary professor at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, effective July 2015. Previously, he was a seminary professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California, where he taught liturgy and homiletics.

John Cooney (Engr ’85 CM) and his wife, Kelly, have launched a start-up apparel company, Après-Swim Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas. Après-Swim manufactures and sells fast-drying SPF 40+ after-swim cover-up dresses.

John Pullen (Com ’95 CM) and Brandy L. Wilson (Col ’01) were married on Nov. 21, 2014, in Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The couple resides in Smyrna, Georgia, where Mr. Pullen is a strategic accounts director for Salesforce Inc., and Ms. Wilson is a team leader for Randstad Engineering.

Eston Melton and his wife, Rosalyn Metz, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Genevieve Simone Melton, in Mountain View, CA, on 10 Feb. Parents and Future Hoo are doing well.

April Keck DeGennaro (CLAS ’83; EDUC ’89) received (will receive) the Georgia State Gifted Teacher of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Gifted Children on March 9, 2015.

James Canup (Col ’80 CM) recently joined the Richmond, Virginia, office of Hirschler Fleischer as a partner and chair of the firm’s tax group. He was also recently named to the Virginia Business “Legal Elite” list.

Marcia McCarthy (Col ’90) and Damon Dillon were married December 27, 2014 in Richmond, VA. The couples resides in Arlington, VA where Ms. Dillon is an attorney in the Washington, DC office of Mayer Brown LLP. MAJ Dillon (U.S. Army Reserve) received an M.B.A. from Hawaii Pacific University.

Rukiya Johnson (Col ’96) is the executive director of STEM and strategic initiatives for Chicago Public Schools. Ms. Curvey Johnson leads the development and execution of the district’s K-12 STEM strategy and the incubation of STEM-inclusive elementary schools and early-college STEM high schools.

Chris Morris (Arch ’75 CM) is a world-renowned architect who has designed various built works across the United States. His designs include Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers; the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) in Los Angeles; Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut; the Chandelier bar in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas hotel; Steelers Hall, now FedEx Great Hall, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh; and the Meadowlands Xanadu shopping complex, now the American Dream Meadowlands, in New Jersey. Mr. Morris, a 2013 architecture and environmental structures fellow for the New York Foundation for the Arts, also contributed designs to New York City for both ground zero’s early development and Mayor Bloomberg’s bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Reginald Benbow (Col ’11 CM) moved to Durham, North Carolina, in July 2014 to enroll in the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He plans to graduate with a master of business administration degree in 2016.

Jennifer Dudderar (Col ’99 CM) and her husband, Jason, welcomed a daughter, Claire Bennett, on Aug. 10, 2014. Claire joins big sisters Caroline, 5, and Jane, 3.

Michael joined the executive team of Ascentria Care Alliance as Vice President of Business Development. Ascentria is one of the largest community service organizations in New England. Michael leads growth and restructuring initiatives.

Sharon Utz (Col ’94 CM) recently joined the staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging as an investigator. She previously served for four years as a majority professional staff member with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Susan Cheung Jones (Engr ’03 ) and her husband, Rick welcomed their son, Russell Alan Jones, on November 3, 2014. “Rusty” joins big sister, Natalie Mae, and their faithful mutt, Vegas. Susan is a civil engineer with FHWA and Rick is an engineering technician for VDOT. They reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

Mark Brazeal (Col ’90, Law ’93 CM) was named chief legal officer and senior vice president for intellectual property licensing at SanDisk Corp. on Dec. 1, 2014. Based in Milpitas, California, SanDisk is a Fortune 500 company and a global leader in flash storage solutions.

Robert Nix (Col ’85 CM) and his wife, Pebbles Glenn Nix, adopted their son, Guy Nelson Nix III, on Dec. 23, 2012. Guy was born in Las Vegas in March 2012. The family resides in Atlanta, where Mr. Nix serves as director of retirement plan services at Peachtree Wealth Strategies and Ms. Nix is owner and principal at Glenn Epting Interior Design.

My name is Marcela Aguilar a former UVA Alumni and I would like to share with you the amazing startup I’m part of, called SHEVA.

Specially because 3 current UVA students: Sofia Heineman, Cristina Castillo, Axelle Basso are SHEVA Ambassadors.

To begin, let me tell you a little bit more about SHEVA.

SHEVA is in the business of empowering women worldwide by providing you the opportunity to help other women through the GIVING CYCLE aided at SHEVA.com. Through collaborations, partnerships and retail of consumer goods, SHEVA helps provide tools and education to girls and women in need in Guatemala.

WHY? Guatemala has a 30% school dropout rate of girls at the age of 10-13 and the highest index of teen pregnancy in Latin America. With the right tools and education, these girls and women can achieve their goals and bring forth the economic index of Guatemala.

SHEVA intends to change the lives of 1 Million women by 2025.

We encourage you to visit our website www.sheva.com, to find out more on how you can help a girl break out of the poverty cycle by buying the products you already buy monthly. Thus, you’ll be part of a movement that’s Improving the World One Period at a Time.

As you can see, we believe that SHEVA is a great opportunity for all women and members of UVA to hop on the bandwagon and be part of this movement to empower girls while simultaneously accomplishing their fifteen hours of 2015. However, to make awareness, we need help from people like you, Part of the UVA Community, to share with all your friends, family and peers how they can all become involved and help girls in Guatemala.

We would really appreciate your support in sharing SHEVA’s mission and how the opportunity of joining a community of women helping women at UVA would benefit us all. We would be extremely grateful if you could share SHEVA’s story in any media or way throughout UVA. If there is anywhere else for students at UVA to read and have the opportunity to improve the life of girls in Guatemala please let us know.

Thank you so much. I hope to hear from you soon. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER IT’S AWESOME!!!!

Sincerely,

Marcela Aguilar

Beverly Carter (Col ’89 CM) is executive vice president of Media Predict Inc., a media and marketing research company based in New York City. Media Predict combines the concepts of a futures market and crowdsourcing to generate highly accurate and predictive research for major television advertisers and networks in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, including CBS, Univision and the BBC. Mr. Carter also serves as senior executive advisor to Brookside Equity Partners, a private equity firm based in Stamford, Connecticut; and is a board member of Mighty Squirrel, a craft brewer based in Boston. Mr. Carter; his wife, Viva; and their two children, Hill (13) and Henry (9), moved from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Hanover, New Hampshire, last summer.