“Other” Class Notes

M. Cooke (Col ’76 CM) has been chosen the No. 1 attorney in South Carolina for the 2015 edition of South Carolina Super Lawyers; this is the second consecutive year that he has topped the list. Mr. Cooke is a member lawyer with Barnwell Whaley in Charleston, where he focuses on complex civil litigation, professional liability defense and personal injury litigation. He frequently lectures on alternative dispute resolution.

David Miller (Darden ’72) has been appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute. Mr. Miller is president and chief operating officer of Community Health Systems Inc., which has operations in 29 states and treats about 1 million inpatients each year. Mr. Miller, based at the company’s headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, is responsible for the company’s six operating divisions as well as all strategic growth initiatives. He and his wife, Helen, have two sons and four grandchildren.

Stephen Hartley (Engr ’74, Engr ’83, Grad ’72) has retired from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he was a member of the computer science faculty for 15 years and was chairman of that department for the last five years.

John McCraw (Educ ’71) has been appointed to the college board of Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia, by the Martinsville City Council. He is a retired teacher and administrator for schools in Martinsville and in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

W. Bissette (Darden ’70 CM) has received the 2015 Wake Forest Distinguished Alumni Award for his exemplary service and leadership to Wake Forest University; he is now a university trustee. Mr. Bissette is an attorney with McGuire Wood & Bissette in Asheville, North Carolina. He practices in the areas of economic development, land use and zoning, serving clients ranging from individuals to large businesses and institutions. He is also involved in the community, having served two terms as mayor of Asheville, from 1985 to 1989, and eight years as a trustee of Western Carolina University and vice chairman of the UNC System Board of Governors.

Phil Lilienthal (Law ’65) has received the 2013 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service from the Peace Corps. He is the founder and president of Global Camps Africa, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate at-risk children in South Africa about HIV/AIDS.

Gary Alexander (Col ’64 CM) has passed the Florida bar exam and has been admitted to practice law in Florida. He has been a member of the Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia bar associations for more than four decades. He is the founder and senior partner of Alexander & Cleaver and now works out of the firm’s Annapolis and West Palm Beach offices.

Clark MacKenzie (Com ’63 CM) received the William C. Campbell Award from the United States Seniors’ Golf Association for his contributions to the association and to the advancement of amateur golf. He has played on the USSGA international team 15 times since 1998, captained the team for four years and served as team secretary for two years. Mr. MacKenzie has also served on a number of committees for the organization, including the committee planning the celebration of the USSGA’s 100th anniversary in 2005, and has served on its board of governors in various capacities. A member of the Senior Slam Society, he has participated in each of the USSGA’s invitational tournaments. He and his wife, Andy, live in Jackson, Wyoming.

Virginia LeBaron (Nurs ’96 CM) is a Roberts Scholar and assistant professor of nursing at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Before returning to UVA, she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and, as a Fulbright Scholar in India, studied access to pain relief for patients with cancer.

Robert Tyler (Col ’89, Law ’94 CM) has been appointed associate university counsel for the University of Virginia, where he continues to practice intellectual property law.

Hannah Rosenfeld (Col ’15) and Shruti Patel (Engr ’13 L/M) run Buddy Watch Inc., a company that produces the Buddy Watch app, a personal safety mobile phone application that automatically detects and responds to emergencies even if users can’t reach their phones.

Jonathan Mueller (Col ’98) and Kimberly Somma Mueller (Col ’98 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Gillian Alma Lorraine, on May 26, 2015. Gillian joins big brother Jackson Walter, 5; and big sister Clara Elizabeth, 2. The family lives in Golden, Colorado.

Alan Gold (Law ’76) has been selected for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers in the field of appellate law; this is the 10th consecutive year he has been on the list. He is a shareholder in the law firm of Gold & Ferrante in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, where he focuses his practice on appellate law, commercial litigation, constitutional law and personal injury law.

Simeon Taft (Col ’99 CM) and his wife, Heidi, welcomed a son, Andrew Edward, on April 20, 2015. Andrew joins big brother George, 2. The family lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where Dr. Taft is a veterinarian.

Emily Hodge (Col ’05, Educ ’06, Grad ’07) earned a doctorate from the department of education policy studies in the Pennsylvania State University College of Education on May 15, 2015. Her dissertation is titled “Rigor for All? The Enduring Tension Between Standardization and Differentiation in the Era of the Common Core State Standards.” Ms. Hodge is an assistant professor of educational leadership at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey.

Richard Brown (Col ’74 CM) has been appointed town administrator of Somerset, Massachusetts.

Mark Arey (Col ’98) and his wife, Shuchi Shah, welcomed a daughter, Daniela Winston Arey, on Jan. 2, 2015. Daniela joins big sister Mikaela Cameron, 7; and big brother Evan Kai, 5. The family lives in Tampa, Florida, where Dr. Arey is an ophthalmologist at Florida Eye Center.

Buddy Omohundro (Col ’92 CM) has been promoted to chief services officer of Apex Systems Inc.,  a staffing firm based in Richmond, Virginia. He will continue to head the company’s legal operations and provide executive oversight for Apex’s shared-services function.