Class Notes
John Rutkowski (Arch ’71, Com ’76)
Marvin Heinze (Arch ’79)
Marvin Heinze (Arch ’79 CM) was honored as a National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Scout by the San Diego-Imperial Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Currently a City Councilmember in Coronado, California, Heinze was recognized as a notable Eagle Scout who, through service to his country and community, has inspired others.
A career Navy Special Operations Officer who led Explosive Ordnance Disposal forces, a senior government official in port and harbor security and a dedicated community volunteer, Heinze has consistently lived the Scout Oath. His volunteer efforts with national non-profit organizations, local organizations and as a commission and City Council member have consistently made his nation and community a better place to live. Over 50 years after earning his Eagle award in Troop 1033 in Beltsville, Maryland, Heinze is still making a positive impact serving his community.
The NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award was established in 2010 to recognize notable Eagle Scouts who have performed distinguished service at the local, state or regional level. Worthy candidates for the award have inspired others through their actions and have devoted a lifetime to their profession, avocation, community and beliefs at great sacrifice to themselves and their families.
Alyson Steele (Arch ’94)
Alyson Steele (Arch ’94), Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and LEED Accredited Professional, has been elected president and chief executive officer of Quinn Evans, a nationally recognized architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture and historic preservation firm. Steele will oversee more than 200 professionals in six offices. She is widely known for her work in museum design and the revitalization of cultural institutions and landmarks across the nation. Her work emphasizes the long-term, sustainable stewardship of cultural resources. Steele’s clients include the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. During her tenure as executive, Quinn Evans has grown rapidly while increasing minority representation among its staff as well as company ownership by women.
Katya Davydova (Col ’15)
Katya Davydova (Col ’15 CM) will publish her first book, Joy in Plain Sight, in May 2022. The collection of stories and essays explores the celebration of wonder in the ordinary, especially against the backdrop of a busy, noisy world.
As a professional leadership facilitator for companies like Google, Netflix and Twilio, she is offering customized workshops on how to build behavior-based habits of joy, tailored book talks and private one-on-one coaching for individuals and organizations. Davydova’s mission is to make the world a more joyful place, starting with uncovering what’s right in front of us.
Jill Tietjen (Engr ’76 CM)
Jill Tietjen (Engr ’76 CM) has an upcoming book titled Over, Under, Around, and Through: How Hall of Famers Surmount Obstacles, which will be released May 3, 2022 by Fulcrum Publishing. The book provides the secrets of how Hall of Famers overcame the obstacles in their lives to become stronger, smarter and more resilient. The stories in the book show how the fifty successful women, inductees into Halls of Fame in the U.S. and around the world, used ten key characteristics either singly or in combination to surmount the many obstacles that they faced in their lives: mental intelligence, emotional intelligence, social support, moral compass/spirituality, determination/perseverance/persistence, optimism, creativity, resilience, action-orientation and passion.
Chelsea Granville Reed (Col ’11)
Chelsea Granville Reed (Col ’11 CM), Dentons Senior Managing Associate, has been selected as a member of the 2022 class of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinder Program. The program is designed to train high-performing, early-career lawyers in critical career development strategies including leadership and the building of professional networks. Chelsea is a member of Dentons’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Employment and Labor, and White Collar and Government Investigations groups, and is in the Louisville office.
Raymond Abramson (Col ’73 CM)
Raymond R. Abramson (Col ’73 CM), a judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals, received the Judicial Leadership Award from Access to Justice for his work in founding and implementing Monroe County Children in Trust, a program designed to lift children out of multigenerational poverty in the Arkansas Delta.
Robin Verstraete (Col ’05 CM)
Robin Short Verstraete (Col ’05 CM) and her husband, Aaron, welcomed their second child, Holden Robert, on Feb. 1, 2022. He joins big brother Graham, age 3. The family lives in New Albany, Ohio, where Ms. Verstraete is a Vice President of Merchandising for Bath and Body Works and Mr. Verstraete is the head of strategy and partnerships for tech start-up UnitQ.
J Lewis (Law ’68)
J. William Lewis (Law ’68) has been named among the winners of this year’s Feathered Quill Book Awards for his debut novel The Essence of Nathan Biddle. A national book awards program that celebrates excellence in book publishing, the Feathered Quill Book Awards is sponsored by Feathered Quill Book Reviews, a preeminent online book review. Recognizing books from both large and independent presses, the Feathered Quill Book Awards honor the best books in numerous categories. The prestigious awards program, now in its ninth year, features a judging panel comprised of editors, writers, critics and other literary professionals.
The Essence of Nathan Biddle was awarded the Silver Medal in the Adult Fiction category of the 2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards.
A timeless, sweeping tale that unfolds on the Alabama coast in the 1950s, The Essence of Nathan Biddle has been met with high praise from critics and readers alike. A beautifully written, marvelously told tale about coming to terms with the necessity of engagement with life’s pain, pleasure and absurdity, The Essence of Nathan is intelligent, clever, captivating—and utterly unforgettable.
According to Ellen Feld, editor of Feathered Quill, “it is a great honor to announce The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis as the Silver Medalist in the Adult Fiction category of our awards program. Adult fiction is one of the most popular categories for entries and this year was no exception. We were nothing short of humbled by the volume of—and the exemplary quality of—this year’s entrants. Our judges were faced with the challenging task of combing through so many worthy contenders. Even amongst such a fine list of books, there were titles that rose above. The Essence of Nathan Biddle was one of those. The Essence of Nathan Biddle is an extraordinary book: beautifully written and tremendously powerful. This is the type of book a reader won’t forget, and a book that begs to be read and reread. We commend Mr. Lewis on an exquisite debut novel and we are proud to name The Essence of Nathan Biddle our Silver Medalist, Adult Fiction in our 2022 awards program.”
Catherine Esteves (Col ’97)
Katie Esteves (Col ’97) has been named Director/Owner of Truity Partners. Late last year, Katie and seven others participated in a management buy-out of Baker Tilly Search and Staffing. Truity Partners LLC is an award-winning staffing and recruiting agency with finance, accounting and human resources as their specialties. Their 60 professionals maintain extensive candidate networks in Chicagoland, the Twin Cities and Wisconsin. They offer temporary staffing and consulting as well as directing hire solutions in their local geography along with executive search on a nationwide basis. Visit https://truitypartners.com/ for more information.
Frank Macgill (Com ’91)
Frank Macgill (Com ’91), an attorney with HunterMaclean in Savannah, Georgia, was recently honored as a 2022 Georgia Super Lawyer.
Attorneys are selected based upon peer review, professional achievements and independent research. The process identifies attorneys from more than 70 practice areas who have achieved distinction in their respective practices of law.
Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of the selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the region and in ABA-accredited law school libraries. In addition, the list is published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines across the country.
Erica Kraus (Col ’06)
Erica Kraus (Col ’06) is one of 24 attorneys promoted to partner at law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Resident in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Kraus is a member of the firm’s corporate practice group and healthcare team. Erica represents healthcare entities in regulatory compliance matters, and her practice focuses on navigating regulatory demands and resolving compliance challenges to allow clients to achieve their business and operational goals. She provides clients with counseling on operations, new ventures and strategic transactions; support in developing compliance programs and protocols and managing internal investigations; assistance in responding to government investigations; and representation in False Claims Act litigation. She also has extensive experience with value-based care arrangements, as well as with the unique regulatory requirements and flexibilities applicable to value-based care. Kraus leverages her background in health policy to help clients maximize opportunities in the changing healthcare landscape. In addition to receiving her B.A. from UVA, she received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her A.M. in Health Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Richard McGonegal (Col ’75)
Richard F. McGonegal (Grad ’75 CM) has published the novel Ghoul Duty with Cave Hollow Press.
The mystery is the second in the Sheriff Francis Hood series, which began with publication of Sense of Grace in 2020.
McGonegal is a 1975 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received a master’s degree in English Language and Literature. While attending UVA, he studied creative writing with Peter Taylor, who later won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
“Ghoul Duty” is the unofficial moniker for the task of recovering corpses unearthed by Missouri River flooding. After the sheriff and his chief deputy retrieve a body, they learn it did not come from the cemetery.
The revelation begins the process of determining who the man is and how he died. Complicating Hood’s efforts are his early recovery from alcoholism; his separation from his wife and daughter; a new twist on a relationship from his past; and the puzzling behavior of an ex-convict, whose father was killed by Hood in a shootout.
McGonegal is also a 1973 graduate of Rutgers University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature.
He retired in 2017 after a 41-year journalism career at the Jefferson City News Tribune, a daily newspaper in Missouri’s capital city. McGonegal and his wife, Kristie, live in Jefferson City, Missouri, where their two adult daughters, Heather and Jane, also reside.
Print and Kindle versions of his books are available online at Amazon.com.
Ann Hewitt (Nurs ’79)
Ann Hewitt (Nurs ’79 CM) married Jon Gordon on New Year’s Day, 2020, on a shockingly warm and sunny Chicago day. The celebration took place in the historic landmark Chicago Athletic Association overlooking Lake Michigan, and the clouds over the lake turned pink as the sun set and the couple made their vows. A dinner reception featuring an 18-piece big band inspired nonstop dancing, led by the many ’Hoos in attendance. Guests included Allyson Wells Bakewell (Nurs ’81 CM), Barbara Cherney Andrukonis (Col ’79 CM), Beth Rasin (Col ’79 CM), Cindy Richardson Milton (Com ’79 CM), Don Havermann (Com ’76, Law ’80 CM), Geri Wright Miner (Com ’79 CM), Hughes Bakewell (Com ’81 CM), Kathy Simmons Neel (Com ’79 CM), Kit Kammerer Schumaker (Nurs ’80 CM), Martha Weaver Preston (Com ’79 CM), Tracy Hyde Havermann (Educ ’79 CM) and Vicki Vasta Healy (Nurs ’81 CM). Ann and Jon live in Winnetka, Illinois. Ann works for STERIS Corporation and Jon is retired.
Adam Ambrogi (Col ’98)
Adam Ambrogi (Col ’98 CM) recently took the job as Senior Director for Voting and Elections with the League of Women Voters. Ambrogi joins the League’s growing team and will expand the organization’s impact on voting rights and election administration.
“I am thrilled to have Adam join the League at a pivotal moment in our country when voting rights are under attack,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “Adam brings to the League a wealth of experience in voting and elections advocacy as well as philanthropy and strategy. We’re excited to have him join us as we continue our fight to expand voting rights for all Americans.”
Prior to joining the League, Ambrogi served for several years as Director of the Elections and Voting Program at the Democracy Fund. In that role, he led efforts in grantmaking, strategy, research and advocacy to improve the quality of elections and voting. Ambrogi has previous experience at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and on Capitol Hill as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, addressing a wide range of issues related to rules of the Senate, election law and policy.
“I am excited to join the League of Women Voters in this new role as we expand our presence in the local, state and federal space,” said Ambrogi. “The potential to create impact with LWV’s ability to combine grassroots and organizing relationships of over 800 Leagues with national insight and strategy can be transformational to protect and promote the vote. I can’t wait to help build that vision, look for new areas of growth and expand our partnerships throughout the country.”
Robert Heath (Engr ’96, Engr ’97)
Robert W. Heath Jr. (Engr ’96, Engr ’97) recently joined North Carolina State University as the Lampe Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he is co-founder of the 6GNC wireless center. He moved back to the East Coast after eighteen years at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was most recently a Cockrell Family Regents Chair and the Director of the UT Situation-Aware Vehicular Engineering Systems initiative. He has more than 600 publications and 65 patents, and has published several books, including Foundations of MIMO Communication in 2018.
Erin Mattingly (Educ ’03)
Erin Mattingly (Educ ’03 CM) was awarded the Department of the Army’s Public Service Commendation Medal for her leadership of medical operations at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Camp Atterbury was one of eight Operation Allies Welcome sites supporting Afghan evacuees following the Taliban assuming control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021 and became the interim home for 7,201 guests.
Frances Wall (Col ’14)
Frances Sarrett (COL ’14 CM) and Michael Wall (COL ’12 CM) were married on November 6, 2021 in Mobile, Alabama surrounded by friends and fellow ’Hoos. Frances is the daughter of Kemper Sarrett III (Col ’82 CM) and Bowden Overbey Sarrett (Col ’82 CM), and the granddaughter of Kemper Sarrett Jr. (Col ’52 CM). The couple lives in Richmond, Virginia.
Patrick McCreesh (Col ’02 CM)
Patrick McCreesh (Col ’02 CM) recently announced the acquisition of his company, Simatree, by Galway Holdings, a financial services distribution company. Patrick will continue to serve as the Managing Principal for Simatree under Galway. Additionally, Patrick will be releasing a new book, Stuck, How to WIN in Business by Understanding LOSS, on March 1, 2022. Patrick resides in Vienna, Virginia with his wife Courtney Lodge McCreesh (Col ’03 CM) and four daughters.
Elizabeth Witt (Col ’13 CM)
Elizabeth (Dickinson) Witt (Col ‘13 CM) and Ryan Witt (Col ‘13, Law ‘18 CM) welcomed their son, James Coleman, on November 4, 2021. James joins big sister Dabney Anne, and is the grandson of Harry D. Dickinson (Com ‘75, Grad ‘76 CM) and nephew of Will Dickinson (Col ‘16 CM). The family will move to Richmond, Virginia this spring. Ryan recently joined the law firm of Hirschler as an associate in the real estate group.
Top