“Other” Class Notes

Reedy Swanson (Col ’12, Law ’16 L/M) and George Zaras (Col ’12, Law ’16) traveled to Myanmar over winter break to research a range of human rights issues as part of the Human Rights Study Project at UVA’s School of Law. The group spent 15 days in the country studying the impact of foreign investment to health care and Myanmar’s constitution, among other issues.

James Cocola (Grad ’09) has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor in the department of humanities and arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. His research explores ideas of place in American poetry and poetics, the literary and cultural production of Americans and others of Mediterranean descent, and experiential and experimental forms of writing. Mr. Cocola has received a number of honors for his work, including a scholarship for the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin, and a resident scholarship at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

D. Starrett (Law ’09) has been named to Triad Business Journal’s 2015 “40 Leaders Under Forty” list, an annual listing of the region’s top young professionals. Mr. Starrett is an attorney in the Greensboro, North Carolina, office of Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard, where his practice includes business litigation, corporate law, compliance and internal investigations and employment law.

Amy Azano (Educ ’09) an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Education, and Carolyn Callahan, a professor in UVA’s Curry School of Education, have received a $2 million federal grant to study gifted education for rural students. Their program, Promoting PLACE, aims to increase the number of rural students in gifted programs, especially in high-poverty school districts. Ms. Azano and Ms. Callahan will work with rural school districts in Virginia to identify gifted and talented students and develop high-quality language arts units to serve those students capable of advanced work.

Lelia Otmani (Col ’08) has published The Protection of the Environment and Access to Patented Technologies: Interpreting the TRIPS Agreement in light of the human right to health, an academic book that examines the connection between human health and the environment.

Adam Duggins (Darden ’08) is managing partner of New Page Capital, a private equity firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina, that he established with Rick Ramsey (Com ’01, Darden ’07 L/M). Previously, Mr. Duggins worked as vice president of operations at Care Services and as a manager in Bain & Co.’s private equity group.

Rory Francisco (Col ’07 CM) and his wife, Kristin, welcomed a son, Charles Theodore, on Jan. 8, 2015. The family resides in Richmond, Virginia.

Andrew Cookingham (Col ’05 CM) has been selected for inclusion in the 2015 Texas Rising Stars in the area of business litigation. He is an attorney at Thompson & Knight in Dallas, where he represents healthcare providers, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and other clients in state and federal court, as well as in appellate courts and in arbitration proceedings.

Daniel Mazanec (Law ’04) has joined the Miami office of Greenspoon Marder Law as senior counsel in the litigation practice group. He has more than 10 years of experience representing and advising corporations, financial institutions and entrepreneurs in complex commercial disputes and high-profile litigation matters, including class actions, multidistrict litigation proceedings and cross-border business disputes. Mr. Mazanec previously practiced at an international law firm with offices in Cleveland, New York City and Miami.

Luca Sciullo (Col ’03) and Caroline King Sciullo (Col ’03 L/M) welcomed a son, Eric Easton Sciullo, on March 12, 2015. He joins siblings Luca “Luc” Jr., 7; Marc, 5; and Sophie, 2. The family lives in Ashburn, Virginia, where Mr. Sciullo is a managing partner at ASET Partners in nearby Alexandria. Mr. Sciullo also runs Zeds Books, an online book retailer that specializes in rare antiquarian, first edition and leather-bound books.

John Gekas (Law ’03) has received the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the United States District Court in conjunction with the Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He is a partner and a member of the litigation practice group in the Chicago office of Arnstein & Lehr. Mr. Gekas also serves on the board of directors of Housing Opportunities for Women, an organization dedicated to permanent solutions for poverty and homelessness.

Harris Freier (Col ’03 CM) and Lily Morris Freier (Col ’05 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Georgia Grace, on Dec. 16, 2014. The family resides in Cranford, New Jersey. Georgia is the granddaughter of Jerold L. Freier (Col ’67 L/M) and James T. Morris (Col ’73).

Richard Wallace (Col ’02 CM) has joined the Morgantown, West Virginia, office of Littler Mendelson, a large global employment and labor law practice. He focuses on employment litigation and traditional labor law and has experience in employment litigation in both state and federal courts. Mr. Wallace’s trial experience includes matters involving race, age, sex and disability discrimination; wrongful discharge; workplace harassment; violations of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act; and breaches of the duty of loyalty.

Rick Ramsey (Com ’01, Darden ’07 CM) has been named president of Engineered Steel Products, a structural steel manufacturing company headquartered in Sophia, North Carolina. He also serves as operating partner of New Page Capital, a private equity firm that he established with Adam Duggins (Darden ’08). Engineered Steel is the first major acquisition for New Page Capital.

Emily Leitch (Col ’01 CM) has been promoted to partner at Bracewell & Giuliani, where she advises clients on securities matters, corporate finance and general corporate transactions. With a primary focus on capital markets, she represents issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of equal securities, high-yield debt securities and investment-grade debt securities.

Zachary Gemignani (Darden ’00) has published Data Fluency, a book that outlines the importance of changing the way organizations view and use data. The book serves as a guide to help any organization transform into a data-fluent culture where any individual or team can easily consume data, make informed decisions and take immediate action to positively affect business.

Stephen Ziegler (Engr ’97 CM) and Katharine Miller Ziegler (Col ’99 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Charlotte Amelia, on Dec. 23, 2014. Charlotte joins big brothers Owen, 6; and William, 3. The family currently resides in Clifton, Virginia.

Mark Zaffarano (Col ’77 CM) was selected by the Delaware Judiciary as court administrator of the Superior Court of Delaware, effective June 1, 2015. He previously was deputy-in-charge for the U.S. District Court, San Jose Division of the Northern District of California.

Katherine Dinh (Col ’93 CM) has been elected chair of the board of the National Association of Independent Schools, which represents 1,700 independent private schools and associations of schools. She has served as head of the Prospect Sierra School, a K-8 private school in El Cerrito, California, since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Dinh was principal of the middle and upper schools at Metairie Park Country Day School in Louisiana. She has worked in boarding, day, single-sex and co-ed schools and was a founder of a public charter school in Boston.

Jack Wolf (Col ’91 CM) received Clemson University’s 2015 Alumni Master Teacher Award for outstanding undergraduate classroom instruction. Mr. Wolf, an associate professor of finance in Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, was nominated by the student body and selected by the student alumni council. His scholarly interests lie in valuation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and shareholder voting, and his research has been published in the Journal of Finance, Financial Management and the International Review of Financial Analysis, among others.