“Other” Class Notes

Joseph Berger (Engr ’10) and Joanna Stokes Berger (Col ’10) recently moved from Manassas to Stafford County, Va., after purchasing their dream home. Ms. Berger works for Potomac Spay/Neuter Clinic, a nonprofit animal welfare organization in Manassas; and Mr. Berger works as a software developer for the U.S. Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.

Katherine. Cooper (Col ’84, Law ’87 CM) was appointed a Superior Court judge for Maricopa County, Ariz., by Gov. Jan Brewer in October 2011. Before her appointment to the bench, Judge Cooper was in private practice from 1987 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2007, and in public practice with Scottsdale’s Office of the City Attorney from 2007 to 2011. She lives in Phoenix.

Alexandra Vuxton (Col ’09, Com ’10 CM) and Brad Guest (Com ’10 L/M) were married on May 25, 2013, in Hume, Va. Ms. Guest graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 2012 and works in Boston, and Mr. Guest is a student at Harvard Law School. The couple resides in Cambridge, Mass.

Geoffrey Weiss (Engr ’91 CM) received a master of science degree in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, D.C., on June 13, 2013. This is his fourth graduate degree. In addition, the school honored him as a distinguished graduate and Warrior of the Year for its class of 2013. His eldest son, Scott, recently received a full Air Force ROTC scholarship to attend U.Va.’s School of Engineering this fall. Lt. Col. Weiss and his wife, Karen Gonsky Weiss (Col ’92, Educ ’92 L/M), reside in Falls Church, Va.

Katherine Doyle (Col ’90 CM) was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 8, 2013, in the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky. She is serving as assistant rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Louisville.

Hillary Mikeska (Col ’02 CM) and Hillary Stuhlreyer Mikeska (Col ’02 L/M) welcomed their first child, Charles “Charlie” Roy, on March 27, 2013. Charlie is the grandson of Paul A. “Gus” Stuhlreyer III (Darden ’76 L/M) and the nephew of Matthew Mikeska (Col ’94). The Mikeskas reside in Richmond, Va.

Kevin O’Meara (Engr ’07) and Elizabeth Anne Hillgrove (Educ ’14) were married May 25, 2013. The couple resides in Richmond, Va., where Mr. O’Meara designs transportation infrastructure with Timmons Group, a multidiscipline civil engineering firm. Ms. O’Meara is completing a postgraduate master’s degree in teaching elementary education with an ESL endorsement.

Jonathan Mueller (Col ’98) and Kimberly Somma Mueller (Col ’98 L/M) welcomed a daughter, Clara Elizabeth, on April 15, 2013. Clara joins big brother Jackson Walter, 2. The Muellers reside in Golden, Colo.

William Barratt (Col ’07) is a compliance officer at EJF Capital in Arlington, Va.

April Holland (Col ’06 CM) has joined the Chattanooga, Tenn., office of Miller & Martin as an associate in the firm’s corporate department. She earned a JD degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2010 and earned a Master of Laws degree with a concentration in European economic and financial law from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, in 2012. Prior to joining Miller & Martin, Ms. Holland held positions at the Rutherford Institute, the United Nations Secretariat, and the U.S. Federal District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Ashley Cullop (Col ’06, Educ ’11, Educ ’12 CM) is a development officer with the Darden School of Business. Her job duties include traveling to visit with Darden alumni, developing and cultivating alumni relationships, deepening alumni engagement and involvement in various Darden programs and assisting with fundraising activities. Prior to joining the Darden advancement staff, she worked in alumni relations and student affairs at the University and was associate director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, D.C.

Meg Cates (Nurs ’06 CM) received the 2013 Caroline Langstadter CNO/SVP Award for nursing excellence. She is a nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Kimberly Pietsch (Col ’05) and her husband, Richard, welcomed their first child, a son, Maxwell Andrew, on Feb. 7, 2013. The Pietsches reside in the Virginia Beach area.

Teresa Humphries (Nurs ’05) has been appointed executive director of Rockbridge Area Hospice in Lexington, Va. She lives in Raphine, Va., with her husband and her father.

Whitney Dever (Col ’05 CM) and Austin Davis (Engr ’05) were married on May 12, 2012, at the U.Va. Chapel. Ms. Davis is the daughter of Martin J. Dever (Col ’73, Law ’77 L/M) and Donna Oraftik Dever (Educ ’75). The wedding party included Kristen Brittingham (Arch ’06 L/M), Alison Architect Diebler (Col ’05), Julia Ferguson (Col ’05), Alexis George McBride (Col ’05 L/M), Nari Ker Walsh (Col ’05), Chris DeSimone (Col ’05), Ben Horn (Col ’05 L/M), Alex Oliphant (Col ’04) and Rich Schabowsky (Col ’05). The couple resides in Arlington, Va., where Ms. Davis is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Daiichi Sankyo and Mr. Davis is the director of production for IXI Services, a division of Equifax.

James Karides (Com ’82 CM) has been elected to the board of trustees of Cape Henry Collegiate School in Virginia Beach. Established in 1924 as the Everett School, Cape Henry is the oldest accredited prekindergarten through grade 12 college-preparatory, coeducational, independent day school in Virginia Beach.

Kristina Wilmer (Col ’02, Darden ’07 CM) and her husband, Jack, welcomed their second child, Anne Kathryn, on Feb. 5, 2013. The family resides in Arlington, Va. Ms. Wilmer is a principal at The Gladstone Companies, a private equity firm in McLean, Va.

Andrew Kean (Col ’02 CM) has been appointed chief operating officer for the city of Chattanooga, Tenn. His duties include handling day-to-day operations and making sure that the city government operates efficiently.

Erin Holbrook (Col ’02) and her husband, Grant, welcomed their first child, Amelia James, on Dec. 21, 2012. The family resides in Richmond, Va., where Mr. Holbrook is a doctoral candidate at Union Presbyterian Seminary.

William Wallace (Col ’97) and Cristina Bull Wallace (Col ’01 L/M) welcomed their first child, William J. “Quinton” Wallace V, on July 7, 2012. The family resides in Arlington, Va.

Margaret Sullivan (Col ’01 CM) and Kevin Sullivan (Col ’01) welcomed a son, Andrew Maddock, on March 20, 2013. The Sullivans reside in Boulder, Colo.

Esther Bell (Col ’01) as been named curator of European paintings, drawings and sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She holds a doctorate in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, with a specialization in 17th-and 18th-century European art. Ms. Bell has more than 10 years of museum experience, having worked at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass.; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.

Scott Crenshaw (Engr ’01, Engr ’03 CM) launched SoundRiver Advisors, a firm providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management and insurance services to high net worth individuals, business owners and corporate executives, in March 2013. Mr. Crenshaw is an investment and portfolio specialist who previously served as chief investment officer for Irongate Capital Management and as a vice president and member of the investment committee at Private Advisors.

David Wilson (Engr ’99) and his wife, Susan, welcomed a daughter, Eden Grace, on March 1, 2013. Eden joins big brother Benjamin David, 2. LCDR Wilson is stationed at the National Military Command Center in Arlington, Va.

Mikhael Charnoff (Law ’99) is an attorney practicing civil litigation in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. In January 2013, he founded the litigation boutique Perry Charnoff in Arlington, Va. Mr. Charnoff has resided in Arlington since finishing law school and now enjoys a commute of less than two blocks. He is currently the president-elect of the University of Mary Washington Alumni Association, attending a range of alumni events throughout the region.

Christopher Zobel (Engr ’98) has been named the R.B. Pamplin Professor of Business Information Technology at Virginia Tech. The professorship supports excellence in management science and information technology education. Mr. Zobel joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1998, and in addition to teaching, he researches the application of information technology and the development of computer-based decision-support systems to solve problems in the fields of disaster operations management and environmentally focused decision making. Leading peer-reviewed journals have published his work and he is active in the International Association for the Study of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management.

Adrianna Whish (Com ’97 CM) and her husband, Peter, welcomed their third child, a son, Henry Edward Joseph, on Jan. 27, 2013. Henry joins big brother Richard, 3.5, and big sister Sophia, 2. The family lives in London, where Ms. Whish is a senior vice president at FRM Limited, which the Man Group bought in 2012.

Eric Starkloff (Engr ’97) has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing for National Instruments, which equips scientists and engineers with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation and discovery. Mr. Starkloff’s new duties include strategic planning, positioning the company’s innovative hardware and software platforms, marketing NI’s products and corporate brand and creating an effective e-business platform. He also serves on the advisory board for the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and on the board of directors for Urban Roots, a sustainable agriculture program based in Austin, Texas.

Margaux Massie (Col ’00 CM) and Michael Misantone (Col ’96) were married on March 9, 2013, at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, Va. Nancy McElwain Snyder (Col ’00 L/M) served as the matron of honor. The couple resides in Falls Church, where Ms. Misantone is a compliance vice president at Guggenheim Investments and Mr. Misantone is an investment banker with KippsDeSanto.
 

Mary Romani (Com ’01) and Christopher Romani (Com ’95, Grad ’96) are co-founders and senior executives of Integrity Management Consulting Inc., based out of McLean, Va. Integrity received the Virginia Vanguard Award for Highest Overall Growth and was named the fastest growing company in the Commonwealth of Virginia for 2013 by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. It was also named an Inc. hire power winner for job creation. The company provides major systems acquisition and program management support services to federal clients.

Christopher Romani (Com ’95, Grad ’96) and Mary Beth Laing Romani (Com ’01) are co-founders and senior executives of Integrity Management Consulting Inc., based out of McLean, Va. Integrity received the Virginia Vanguard Award for Highest Overall Growth and was named the fastest growing company in the Commonwealth of Virginia for 2013 by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. It was also named an Inc. hire power winner for job creation. The company provides major systems acquisition and program management support services to federal clients.

Steven Brown (Grad ’95, Grad ’98 CM) recently published John McKinley and the Antebellum Supreme Court: Circuit Riding in the Old Southwest with the University of Alabama Press. The book presents a portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John McKinley, providing an analysis of McKinley’s time and place, his circuit work and the contributions he made to both American legal history and the state of Alabama. Mr. Brown is an associate professor of political science at Auburn University. His previous book Trumping Religion: The New Christian Right, the Free Speech Clause, and the Courts received the National Communication Association’s Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression in 2005.

Denise Fleming (Engr ’92 CM) was one of two executives recognized in 2012 by Women of Color in STEM for her career achievements. She was featured in the organization’s quarterly magazine and recognized at the awards gala and conference in Dallas. Ms. Fleming is currently the vice president of business technology and transformation at BAE Systems Inc. in Arlington, Va.

Terrence Graves (Law ’91) was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers on March 2, 2013, at the ACTL meeting in Naples, Fla. Mr. Graves is a shareholder and group leader of the casualty and coverage litigation group at Sands Anderson in Richmond, Va.

Barry Tyler (Engr ’90 CM) has been named one of the 2013 “Faces of Technology” by Florida High Tech, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s annual magazine. The group recognized Mr. Tyler’s innovative work in the construction of high-power carbon dioxide and precision infrared optics and coding for the military, aerospace, medical and scientific industries. Mr. Tyler is the vice president of American Photonics in Sarasota, Fla.

Kurt Rozelsky (Col ’90 CM) was named a top attorney for 2013 by South Carolina Super Lawyers magazine. He is an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood in Greenville, S.C., where his practice focuses on personal injury litigation and product liability litigation.

Bob Tata (Law ’89) was recently recognized as the 2013 Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year for the Tidewater area by Best Lawyers. He is a litigation partner in the Norfolk, Va.; and Washington, D.C., offices of Hunton & Williams. His daughter Carter Tata (Arch ’13 L/M) recently graduated from the University, and another daughter, Riley Tata (Col ’17), will begin her first year at the University this fall and will play field hockey for the Cavaliers.

Elizabeth Larus (Grad ’89) published Politics and Society in Contemporary China with Lynne Rienner Publishers. This is her second book. Ms. Larus is a professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va.

Jennifer Dotson (Grad ’89) has received the Journal of Modern Poetry Book Award for her manuscript, Clever Gretel, published by Chicago Poetry Press. Ms. Dotson, who leads creative writing and memoir classes for the continuing education program at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Ill., is the founder and program coordinator for HighlandParkPoetry.org.

Lisa Tucker (Arch ’86, Arch ’90 CM) has received Virginia Tech’s 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. Two faculty members each year are selected by the university’s academy of teaching excellence to receive the award. Ms. Tucker is an associate professor in the school of architecture and design in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies. A member of the Virginia Tech faculty since 2007, she was recognized for her dedication to teaching and service to the school and the profession. She is chair of the school’s interior design program, serving as the primary academic adviser for all of the program’s students, and currently serves as president of the Interior Design Educators Council.

David Havird (Grad ’86) published a book of poetry, Map Home, with Texas Review Press. In the book’s opening poem, a blind weaver, who is at once a grandmotherly Penelope and a Homeric bard, maps the reader home—home, as the concluding poem reveals, to the lowlands of the South. Mr. Havird lives in Shreveport, La., where he teaches 19th- and 20th-century British literature, Southern literature, poetry and creative writing at Centenary College of Louisiana. His poetry chapbook, Penelope’s Design, won the 2009 Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize.

Dorit Kressel (Col ’84) has been selected by njbiz.com for inclusion in its 2013 list of “New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business.” The list identifies New Jersey’s most dynamic and distinguished women based on their professional accomplishments, community involvement and advocacy for women. Ms. Kressel is an attorney in the public finance group of Wolff & Samson, where she serves as bond counsel in complex transactions at the state, county and local levels. She also serves as underwriter’s counsel, borrower’s counsel and trustee’s counsel in public finance matters.

Rochelle Cooper (Col ’84 CM) is senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of IAP Worldwide Services, headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Fla. IAP partners with commercial, military and humanitarian aid customers around the globe to support complex, mission-critical initiatives. Previously, Ms. Cooper served as vice president and general counsel of United Space Alliance.

Adrienne Bloss (Engr ’83 CM) has been named vice president for academic affairs at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., effective July 8, 2013. Previously, Ms. Bloss served as associate dean for academic affairs and institutional relations at Roanoke College. At Roanoke, she focused her work on bringing visibility to academic endeavors at the college, developing a new collegewide honors program and expanding the national scholarship program. Prior to her service at Roanoke, she served on the faculty at Virginia Tech as a professor of computer science.