Class Notes

Tien-Wei Huang (Col ’99), Justin Anderson (Col ’16) and Ty Jerome (Col ’20) founded Locker Room Access, a website designed to give fans an inside look at players, coaches, family and friends of the Virginia program. The site features podcasts, merchandise, blogs and forums. UVA is the pilot program, with plans to expand to other schools in 2022.

Jeffrey Ryan (Col ’80) retired after 25 years as a family physician at Ryan Family Medicine in Albany, New York. Dr. Ryan’s practice was varied and included conventional as well as non-traditional approaches. Among these were acupuncture (Medical Acupuncture – UCLA) and integrative medicine (Integrative Medicine Fellow – University of Arizona). Jeff’s practice was evolving to include an emphasis on geriatric care. Jeff then experienced manifestations of an inherited addictive disorder fueled in part by childhood trauma. It signaled the need for interruption of career and modification of certain life and career goals. Treatment of this is ongoing and is as deeply meaningful as it is profoundly challenging.

Alden Abbott (Col ’74 CM) joined the Mercatus Center at George Mason University as Senior Research Fellow in January 2021. He runs a research program on antitrust and competition policy. From 2018-2021, Abbott served as general counsel of the Federal Trade Commission. He was an adjunct professor at George Mason (now Scalia) Law School from 1991-2018. In August, the Mercatus Center released his podcast interview on antitrust and Christianity, featuring a discussion with UVA Economics Professor Kenneth Elzinga and University of Michigan Professor Dan Crane.

Paul A. Lombardo (Grad ’82, Law ’85), Regents Professor and Bobby Lee Cook Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law, was chosen as the 2021 Jay Healy Health Law Teacher of the Year by the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Brett Herbert (Col ’10) married Mallory Taylor Brennan on July 24, 2021.

Justin Humphreys (Col ’01) appears on two recent BluRay video releases: he recorded an audio commentary for Flight to Mars and wrote and narrated a documentary included on The Brotherhood of Satan. 

​Emily Echols (Col ’11 CM) and Robert DiCostanzo (Com ’12 CM) were married at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Virginia, on July 10, 2021, surrounded by friends and family. The couple lives in New York City. 

Erika Werner (Col ’98, Engr ’99, Res ’08 CM) will become the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts Medical School and Tufts Medical Center in September 2021. She is currently the director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Division and an associate professor at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital in Rhode Island. Werner lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, with her husband, W. Frazier Bell Jr. (Educ ’98), and their two daughters.  

Robert Graboyes (Col ’76) interviewed Eric Topol (Col ’75) on the podcast “Healthcare’s Reluctant Revolution.” The two discussed artificial intelligence, the doctor-patient relationship, medical ethics, mRNA vaccines, CRISPR, telehealth and other topics—including a personal experience at UVA Student Health in the 1970s. Graboyes is a senior research fellow and healthcare scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a former clinical professor at the UVA School of Nursing. Topol is founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute and a senior consultant at the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Scripps Clinic.

J. Kevin Moore (Col ’83 CM) has been named to the 2021 Northern California Super Lawyers list for construction litigation.  He is an attorney at Bold Polisner Maddow Nelson & Judson in Walnut Creek, California.

Robert “Cham” Light Jr. (Col ’76 CM) continues to serve his community in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is serving his third term on the board of trustees of the Library of Virginia, and he serves as president of the board of trustees of the Jones Memorial Library. He is beginning his 17th year as an adjunct professor at Liberty University School of Law teaching courses in land use, insurance law and real estate transactions and development. Mr. Light is chair of the bicentennial committee at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and is serving his third term on the Lynchburg Planning Commission.

Geoffrey F. Weiss (Engr ’91 CM), a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, will publish first book, The New Art of War: The Origins, Theory, and Future of Conflict in September.

Anna Burnley (Grad ’89 CM) was recently promoted to associate professor of education and also serves as ESOL Specialist at Flagler College in Tallahassee, Florida. She has presented at conferences in the U.S., Canada, England, Germany and Scotland.

Robert C. Hauhart (Grad ’82), professor in the Department of Society and Social Justice at Saint Martin’s University, has published two books in 2021: the Routledge Handbook on the American Dream, co-edited with Mitja Sardoc, and Connections and Influence Between the Russian and American Short Story, co-edited with Jeff Birkenstein. Hauhart received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Slovenia in 2019, where he maintains a relationship with the Postgraduate School and Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana as a visiting research fellow.

Marcia Thompson Friedman (Col ’89) recently published her second cookbook, The Essential Jewish Cookbook. The book includes a brief history of Jewish culinary traditions along with 100 recipes. Her first cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls: Recipes and Reflections from a Jewish and Italian Life, was published in 2013. In June 2021, she received the honor of membership in Les Dames d’Escoffier, a prestigious international culinary organization.

Tony Medley (Law ’65 CM), a member of MENSA, was recently admitted as a member of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry, or The Thousand®. The society is the third oldest high IQ society in the world and, with 600 members worldwide, is more exclusive than MENSA. Here’s how the society describes itself:

ISPE is the oldest 99.9% Society in the world. ISPE is the third oldest high IQ society in the world after Mensa (98%) and Intertel (99%). The only criterion for admission is a score on any standard psychometric test of intelligence reflecting ability at the 99.9th percentile.

So while MENSA members are comprised of people in the top 2% of IQ, ISPE is comprised of people in the top one-tenth of one percent.

Leigh Carter Cockram (Col ’02 CM) was named the the 2021 North Carolina Economic Developer of the Year by the North Carolina Economic Development Association. 

Danielle Childress MacRae (Col ’16, Batten ’17 CM) and James MacRae (Engr ’14 CM) were married at James Monroe’s Highland in Charlottesville on June 12, 2021. The couple was grateful to return to Virginia for their wedding after a recent cross-country move to Los Angeles.

Jared Deane (Engr ’94 CM) was named dean of nursing and health sciences at the College of DuPage. He also completed the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

Elisabeth Kearney (Engr ’10) wrote an update about her path to graduation and what she’s doing now: “I was originally scheduled to graduate in 2005, but at the end of my 2nd year, my father, Michael Kearney (Engr ’72), died, and I had a hard time being in school for a few years following that. After living in Los Angeles for a couple of years, I moved back to Charlottesville and re-enrolled at UVA and graduated in 2010. After attending naturopathic medical school in Tempe, Arizona, and opening my first practice in Carlsbad, New Mexico, I moved back to Charlottesville last fall to open my practice here and settle down closer to family.”

Craig W. Sampson (Col ’90, Law ’93) has coauthored Family Law: Theory, Practice, and Forms, 2021 ed. (Vol. 9, Virginia Practice Series). Sampson is a shareholder at Barnes & Diehl P.C. in Richmond and parent of Sabrina Sampson (Col ’21).

Marsha McElrath Taylor (Nurs ’77) and her husband, Brad, are pleased to say that their grandson Logan Taylor (Col ’24) will be flying in early to spend time with friends and family before joining his second year classmates on the Grounds for in-person classes.

Caroline Higgins Languasco (Engr ’11) and Jon Languasco (Engr ’15) welcomed a future UVA engineer, Juliana Rose, on March 9, 2021.

Gunes Ozcan Hopson (Col ’97, Law ’01 CM) has joined Geronemus Law as of counsel. Geronemus Law is a law firm that provides concierge in-house attorney services. The firm provides dedicated legal services without the cost or commitment of a full-time general counsel, working with companies of all sizes and industries. Hopson also continues to enjoy providing concierge-level travel planning services through My Path Unwinding Travel, specializing in luxury and family travel. 

Kemi Ogidan Tignor (Com ’98) founded Little Likes Kids in 2018. The company designs, creates and produces toys for kids ages 0-6 that are inspired by—and reflective of—the lives of today’s kids. She writes, “No gifting moment should come and go without an opportunity to share items with your child that reflects who they are. So we create toys and playful images that reflect kids like my son and his wonderfully diverse gaggle of friends.”

Cassandra L. Hill (Col ’94 CM), who has served as dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law since July 2019, received the 2021 Association of American Law Schools Section Award for the Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research. The award, sometimes described as a lifetime achievement award for legal writing education, recognizes Hill for her significant contributions to the field of legal writing and research. Prior to joining NIU Law, Hill served as an administrator and faculty member at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Most recently, she served as the associate dean for academic affairs. She also was appointed by the then-university president to serve on a three-member leadership team with the law school’s acting dean. In addition, she held positions as associate dean for research and faculty development and director of legal writing.

Chantale Fiebig (Col ’02) has joined the Washington, D.C., office of international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a partner in the complex commercial litigation practice. Fiebig joins Weil from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Her practice focuses on complex litigation in federal court relating to business disputes in the finance, media and technology sectors. 

Thomas Gorman (Col ’82 CM) recently celebrated his 35th year of continuous full-time employment.

Anna Caritj (Col ’12) published her debut novel, Leda and the Swan, in May 2021. The book follows Leda, a sorority girl in her third year at a Southern university. Leda’s crush, Ian, is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow classmate, Charlotte Mask. As the campus rouses itself to respond to Charlotte’s disappearance, rumors swirl, suspicious facts pile up, and Leda’s obsession with Charlotte grows. She soon finds herself reassessing her commitment to Greek Life and all that it entails. Her allegiances and motivations begin to blur. The novel examines contemporary youth culture and the dynamics surrounding sex, consent, risk, regret and power.

Luke Fox (Engr ’15) and Paige McGraw, a graduate of Texas Christian University 2015, are engaged to be married on Nov. 6, 2021, in Austin, Texas. They met while attending UVA’s Semester at Sea, Summer 2014. Both have earned master’s degrees; Luke from Old Dominion University and Paige from University of Texas. Luke is the managing engineer and director of operations at Hampton Roads Executive Airport and Paige is employed as an international business development manager with the Virginia Beach Economic Development Department. The couple lives in Virginia Beach. 

Richard “Shark” Forsten (Com ’85, Law ’88 CM) began his third five-year term on the Appoquinimink School District School Board where he has served as board president for the last six years. Shark is a partner in the Wilmington, Delaware, office of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, where he practices in land use, commercial real estate and litigation. He and his wife live in a 182-year old historic farmhouse south of Middletown, Delaware, and his golf handicap remains much too high.

Elizabeth Snyder (Grad ’14) has joined the cybersecurity and privacy practice in the New York office of Maynard Cooper & Gayle. 

Andrew Taylor-Troutman (Grad ’11) has published a new book. Hope Matters: Churchless Sermons in the Time of the Coronavirus is a collection of weekly editorials he wrote for the local newspaper over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part memoir, part social commentary, he draws on biblical interpretation and theological reflection to make connections with a reading audience beyond my faith community in a time in which we were all tested. One hundred percent of the profits support a food assistance ministry in his community that began during the pandemic: the church partners with a local farm and restaurant to provide nutritious meals to people living with special needs.

Greg Van Patten (Col ’92 CM) will serve as the interim dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University starting July 1, 2021. The college is MTSU’s largest college and is home to more than 5,500 students and 210 faculty. Van Patten is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and has served as the chair of that department since 2012.

David Meredith (Com ’03), CEO and board director of Everbridge, was awarded Best CEO by the 2020 Comparably Awards for large companies. Everbridge, Inc., the global leader in critical event management, was awarded Best Company Culture.

Everbridge CEO David Meredith was listed in the Best CEO category including honorees such as Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Apple’s Timothy Cook, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.  Everbridge received exceptionally high ratings from its employees including an overall A Rating for Company Culture and a CEO Rating of A+.  The awards reflect sentiment ratings of employees based on 20 core metrics (e.g., leadership, environment, compensation, team, outlook, career growth, work-life balance, and benefits.) View the full list here.  Everbridge ranked top 50 in the largest company category, including Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Zoom, for Best Company Culture.

Kevin B. O’Connell (Col ’78 CM) retired in April after 35 years with Delta Air Lines. He flew his final crossing of the Atlantic, from Madrid to New York City, after accumulating more than 17,000 hours on the 757/767 aircraft alone. Prior to working for Delta, O’Connell spent eight years on active duty with the U.S. Navy. He participated in combat operations off Lebanon in 1983-1984, and he was recalled to active duty for the first Gulf War as an A-6 pilot.  During the air war in Kosovo he provided expeditionary logistic support to the Sixth Fleet and NATO units while operating at forward support sites in both Greece and Italy. He completed his naval service with more than 2,000 hours in the A-6 Intruder and 401 carrier landings and retired as a captain in the Naval Reserve in 2001. With his wife of 35 years, he is retiring to East Orleans, Massachusetts. on Cape Cod, where his retirement goals include not being attacked by a great white shark while surfing at Nauset Beach. He would also like to avoid falling off the family tractor while mowing the fields on Pochet Island and injuring himself severely. Finally after 43 years of being subject to random alcohol and drug testing at work he would like to blow as much dope as is humanly possible.