Class Notes
Nakita Reed (Arch ’06)
Nakita Reed (Arch ’06) has been promoted to senior associate in Quinn Evans’ Baltimore office. Working at the intersection of historic preservation, sustainable design, and equity, she engages in transformative projects such as the redevelopment of the 800 block of Harlem and Edmondson in Baltimore, Maryland, and the restoration of Baltimore Penn Station. Reed currently serves as president of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation.
Lawrence Jordan (Arch ’80 CM)
Lawrence E. Jordan (Arch ’80 CM) published his first book, The Way: Meaningful Spirituality for a Modern World. The Way integrates religion and science and reconciles Eastern and Western worldviews, confirming with the mystics and the scientists that everyone is related, and everything is connected. Larry lives in Arlington, Texas and Crestone, Colorado. He retired in 2011, after a 25-year career in investment banking. He and his wife, Jill, have two grown children and three young grandchildren, and they enjoy playing with their grandchildren, traveling, and volunteering.
Jonathan Malacarne (Col ’09 CM)
Jonathan G. Malacarne (Col ’09 CM) and Janet E. Horsager welcomed a son, Ari Horsager Malacarne, on December 13, 2023.
Steven Munger (Col ’89 CM)
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.
Juliana Yee (Col ’10 CM)
Juliana Yee (Col ’10 CM) has been promoted to partner at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.
Juliana focuses her practice on high-stakes disputes, including class actions, mass actions and trials in state and federal court and across a wide range of industries, including technology, entertainment, higher education and financial services. She helps companies navigate their most challenging and high-profile matters through all stages of litigation. Juliana also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration matters and civil rights. She is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and currently serves as the co-chair of the Development Committee of the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion.
Before joining the firm, Juliana clerked for Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and Judge Jay Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2019, she completed a three-month fellowship as a volunteer assistant district attorney for the San Francisco District Attorneys’ Office, first-chairing four criminal jury trials to a verdict.
Ilana Berry (Law ’03)
Ilana Berry’s (Law ’03) debut novel, The Peacock and the Sparrow (Simon & Schuster), was named a best book of the year by The New Yorker, NPR, and Diplomatic Courier. The book is about an aging spy caught in the crosswinds of the Arab Spring on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain. Berry was a spy for the CIA for six years, including one year in wartime Baghdad. She publishes under the pen name I.S. Berry.
Jane Hardy (Col ’85)
Jane E. Hardy (Col ’85) was recently named senior associate dean at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Catelyn Bernstein (Engr ’11 CM)
Catelyn Nelson Berstein (Engr ’11 CM) and Aaron Taylor Bernstein (Com ’12) welcomed their second daughter, Chloe Anne Bernstein, in September 2023.
William Ellis (Col ’72 CM)
Bill Ellis (Col ’72 CM) has received The American Folklore Society’s Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Award for 2023. The Society’s highest accolade, this award is bestowed annually to a living senior scholar in recognition of outstanding research accomplishments over the course of a career. In presenting the award, the AFS noted Dr. Ellis’s important contributions to the understanding of contemporary (or urban) legends, of rumor-panics, and of conspiracy theories, as well as his application of traditional folklore concepts to Internet-based discourse. In addition to his four books, the society recognized his very wide range of publications on topics including American folk and popular song, Appalachian folktales, UFO lore, foodways, Internet games, and Japanese anime. Ellis also edited or co-edited six volumes of the standard edition of the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, dealing with the author’s letters and private notebooks.
John Armstrong (Col ’69 CM)
John Armstrong (Col ’69 CM) has published Breaking Stories, a novel in which the principal character, Jake Morris, is a young journalist who launches an unauthorized investigation of a corrupt politician. When his editor seems to balk at publishing the story, Jake quits and goes on a journey leading toward discovery of the reason for his editor’s reluctance. Breaking Stories is available through Amazon/Kindle. John lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Val, who he met at the UVA.
Heather Holleman (Col ’97 CM)
Heather Brown Holleman (Col ’97 CM) has won Christianity Today’s 2024 Book of the Year Award for her young adult novel, This Seat’s Saved.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/december-web-only/christianity-today-2024-book-awards.html
Roger Millar (Engr ’82 CM)
Roger Millar (Engr ’82 CM) recently completed his service as president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, advocating for a resilient national transportation system that is safe, smart, and sound.
Jessica Bantom (Col ’98)
Jessica Bantom (Col ’98 CM) recently joined integrated design firm DLR Group as their global leader for equity, diversity and belonging. This role is the culmination of her career spanning management consulting, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and interior design consulting. She released her first book, Design for Identity: How to Design Authentically for a Diverse World, in April 2023, and is currently teaching a course based on her book at Marymount University.
Theodore Freeman (Col ’73 CM)
Theodore Freeman (Col ’73 CM) has retired from the practice of law after 43 years. During his career, Freeman handled the defense of local governmental entities in state and federal courts, including the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1997, he co-founded Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP, an eight-attorney law firm which now employs over 250 lawyers across 34 offices, spanning 19 states. He now spends much of his time enjoying the mountains of northeast Georgia at his home on Lake Burton.
Eve Lindemuth Bodeux (Grad ’89)
Eve Lindemuth Bodeux (Grad ’89) was elected as secretary for the American Translators Association at the organization’s annual conference, held in Miami in October 2023. She will serve a two-year term from 2023 to 2025 as an officer and member of the Executive Committee.
The ATA is the largest professional association for translators and interpreters in the world, with over 8,000 members in more than 100 countries. Bodeux is a Certified Translator and has been active in the translation industry for over 25 years.
Jason Zeitler (Col ’96)
Jason Zeitler (Col ’96) has had multiple works of literature published by Polyphony Press, including a novel titled The Half-Caste and a story collection titled The Breatharian and Other Stories. Both books are available at online retailers and local bookstores.
Christina Keenan (Col ’11, Educ ’12)
Christina Keenan (Col ’12, Educ ’12) and Jack Keenan (Col ’11 CM), welcomed their son, Myles Eslin, Jan. 19, 2023. He joins his big sister, Charlotte Anne, who will turn 4 in December.
Ashley-Ruth Bernier (Col ’04, Educ ’04)
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (Col ’04, Educ ’04) wrote a short story, “Ripen,” that was included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, edited by Lisa Unger and Steph Cha.
Bernier has been writing short fiction set in her home island of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, since she was an undergraduate student at UVA. Bernier returned to the Virgin Islands after graduating from UVA, but currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children.
Rayotis Perkins (Col ’88)
Rayotis Perkins (Col ’88 CM) received a ‘Hoos Making a Difference’ honor by the Virginia Football Alumni Club. Dr. Perkins was nominated for his positive contributions as a leader and dedication to community service.
Dr. Perkins played football as a defensive tackle during the 1980’s for the late coach George Welsh. After his collegiate career, he continued his passion for football as a free agent with the National Football League to include brief stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
Dr. Perkins is currently an assistant principal and athletic director with Tolleson Union High School in Phoenix.
Joe Averbach (Col ’09)
Joe Averbach (Col ’09) has been promoted to partner at Potomac Point Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in transformative initiatives across the housing finance industry. This election underscores his substantial contributions to the firm and the immense value he has brought to its clients in the financial services industry since joining the team in 2013.
In his ten years with PPG, Joe has steered initiatives with precision and a deep understanding of his clients’ specific challenges. He has led teams through major organizational, process, and technology efforts across both the single and multifamily housing markets. Joe’s experience encompasses a wide range of functions, including originations, servicing, asset management, and securitization.
Before joining PPG, Joe worked as a strategy consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, where he spearheaded business process improvement efforts for Department of Defense clients. Before that, he was an in-house operations consultant at Freddie Mac.
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