Class Notes

Kimberly Pryor (Col ’94) was selected as the Chief Financial Officer of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). VDOT is the third largest state department of transportation in the country.  Pryor is responsible for the agency’s $8.3 billion annual budget and nearly 180 team members serving VDOT’s financial planning, capital investment, asset management, federal programs, fiscal management, public-private partnerships and tolling programs.

Cynthia Alam (Col ’19 CM) recently facilitated an executive presence workshop for senior leaders at Microsoft through her company, PRSNCE Command. During the workshop, she guided participants in building composure, clarity and influence in high-pressure situations, skills that drive stronger leadership and more effective decision-making. PRSNCE Command helps leaders and teams translate executive presence into measurable impact in any high-stakes environment.

Walter (Casey) King (Engr ’89) retired after 31 years as physics professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) in Conway, South Carolina. In addition, Casey ended the HGTC Addiction and Recovery Lecture Series after 20 successful years of bringing the message of recovery to college campus with such notable celebrity speakers as Craig T. Nelson, Danny Trejo, Meredith Baxter and many others over the years.

Allison Geller (LaMothe) (Col ’12) published her debut crime novel, Dirty Metal, with Flatiron Books in February. Dirty Metal, set in New York City in 1992, features crime reporter Parker Snow as she investigates the Russian mafia and a string of women’s murders. Kirkus Reviews called it “a bold debut befitting its bold heroine” in a starred review, while CrimeReads named her “a startling and original talent” in its 2026 “Most Anticipated” list.

Frederick Schutt (Col ’04, Law ’13 CM) was elected as a principal at Woods Rogers, a Virginia-based law firm. Practicing our of the firm’s Richmond office, he focuses on labor and employment matters. In addition to defending employers before federal and state agencies, he conducts workplace investigations, negotiates employment-related agreements and advises on effective workplace policies.

Pietro Sanitate (Col ’12 CM) was elected as principal at Woods Rogers, a Virginia-based law firm. He advises on complex disputes and litigation across a wide range of practice areas, including commercial disputes, intellectual property, insurance defense, construction and government contracts. He practices out of the firm’s Richmond office.

Lisa Langhoff Fitzpatrick (Col ’97 CM) has become a partner in the the insurance practice group at Chaffe McCall’s New Orleans office. Fitzpatrick advises insurers and businesses facing complex coverage matters.

Will Barksdale (Col ’05, Law ’08 CM) was elevated to partner at Jenner & Block. Barksdale, a lawyer in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, focuses his practice on helping clients navigate Federal Energy Regulatory Commission investigations and enforcement actions. He also represents clients pro bono in affirmative and defensive asylum cases in the United States.

Anna Kovatcheva (Col ’12) will publish her debut novel, She Made Herself a Monster, with HarperCollins Mariner on February 10, 2026. The novel, set in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, follows a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—in truth, a traveling con artist—who joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons. The novel is a story of female community, fortitude, and rage set against a backdrop of Slavic vampire folklore, inspired in part by the course on Dracula and other representations of the vampire that Kovatcheva took in the Slavic studies department at UVA with Dr. Jan Perkowski in 2009.

Kovatcheva will appear in conversation with Professor John Casteen (Col ’93) at New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville on February 13, 2026, to discuss the book.

Laura Thigpen (Nurs ’68 CM) traveled to Antarctica in December. She takes her UVA spirit with her wherever she goes, including Antarctica!

Jianyi Lee (Col ’08, Grad ’13 CM) and Kevin Mo (Engr ’09 CM),along with their two young sons, published Portugal: A Kid’s Travel Adventure through Kindle Direct Publishing in September. Inspired by exploring the world together as a family since the COVID-19 pandemic, the book is told from the perspective of their children and blends real-life travel experiences with history, geography, food and cultural discoveries. They are excited to share this first project with the alumni community and hope it inspires families and children to nurture curiosity and a strong sense of adventure. The family lives in Summit, New Jersey.

Laurin (Goff) Malatich (Arch ’96 CM) launched new branding and website for her interior architecture and design studio, Malatich Cochran Design, that she shares with business partner, Beth Cochran. Malatich Cochran Design is in their seventh year of business and focuses on luxury residential design in and around Charleston, South Carolina.

Malatich has thirty years of project design and management experience ranging from high-end interior residential and boutique retail to large-scale hospitality projects. Her previous employers include LS3P, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Robert D. Henry Architects, Gabellini Sheppard Associates, J.P. Molyneux Studio, Loews Hotels and Camens Architectural Group. Highlighted projects with Gabellini Sheppard Associates in New York City include the award-winning Rainbow Room and Bar SixtyFive landmark renovation at 30 Rockefeller Center, ARIA hotel retail development in Las Vegas, award-winning Top of the Rock renovation at 30 Rockefeller Center and the Vera Wang Collection retail concept. Malatich lives in Charleston with her husband, Matt.

Jen Shoop (Col ’06 CM) will publish Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Small Joys, a collection of essays, musings and list poetry on the art of paying attention, on April 14. The book is an extension of the writing she has become known for on her daily blog, Magpie by Jen Shoop, and is organized around themes that include the dance of motherhood, inheritances and intimacies, the natural world and the wide world of language.

John Cooney (Col ’21) won his UVA friend group’s Fantasy Football competition, dubbed the Valley Fantasy Football League. The Valley Fantasy Football League members lived together on Valley Road during their time at UVA, and remained connected through the friendly competition.

Barry Maine (Col ’74 CM) has retired after forty-four years as a professor of American literature at Wake Forest University. He credits the UVA English Department for inspiring his love of literature and literary scholarship.

Mark Christhilf (Col ’70) has a forthcoming book that answers one of the most pressing questions of science and philosophy: what is human consciousness? The Tenant in the Mind: Consciousness and Its Imperatives, will be published by Iff Books (UK) on February 3, 2026. An emeritus professor at Eastern Illinois University, Christhilf has also published a book of literary criticism and a book of poetry, as well as articles, reviews and poems in numerous journals, including The Yale Literary Magazine. He lives in New Jersey.

Trey Cox (Law ’95) was elected to the executive committee at Gibson Dunn. Cox looks forward to helping shape firm strategy and supporting lawyers and clients in an increasingly complex legal landscape.

Gunes Hopson (Col ’97, Law ’01 CM) is excited to share that she now has her own law firm, GFH Law, representing businesses, entrepreneurs and travel advisors. In addition, Hopson still owns a luxury travel agency, Luxe Travel by Gunes. She is happy to assist clients on both the legal and travel fronts.

Callie Anne Bateman (Nurs ’16 CM) and her husband, Max Stevenson (Col ’16), welcomed their first child, Sabrina Jade Stevenson, in October 2025. The family lives in Alexandria, Virginia, where Bateman is director of nursing for Pediatric Associates of Alexandria, and Stevenson is doing a post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Georgetown University. Sabrina is the first grandchild of Mark Denton Bateman (Col ’79, Engr ’86 CM) and his wife, Paula Anne Bateman, and is the niece of Sam Stevenson (Engr ’24) and also of Chelsea Lauren Bateman (Nurs ’13 CM) and her husband, Janis Heuschmid.

Mindy Colden (Engr ’08 CM) has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of Faulconer Construction Company, a heavy civil construction firm based in Charlottesville. Colden began her tenure with Faulconer in 2006 as the firm’s first intern while studying civil engineering in the E school. She has since seen Faulconer nearly double in size and has overseen the growth of Faulconer’s North Carolina operations for the last 8 years. Colden lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, Trip Colden (Col ’05 CM), and their two daughters.

Victoria “Tori” White DeJarnette (Col ’10 CM) was awarded the KPMG Silver Award for her pivotal role in successfully launching KPMG’s new enterprise technology platform, a foundational global initiative driving the firm’s strategic multi-year business transformation. She orchestrated the efforts of seven teams, synthesizing their diverse plans into a cohesive roadmap for a seamless launch. In addition to her strategic direction, leadership praised her agility in adapting to shifting priorities, noting her “work and commitment were vital to our success.”

Arin Mitchell Peter (Com ’13) and her husband Wes welcomed their second child, Coulson, and wrote a children’s book, Hello Baby! Love, Josie, which celebrates their growing family from their dog’s point of view. They hope families, young readers and dog lovers will enjoy the book, and they’re excited to show their kids around Grounds soon.

Larry Wilson (Col ’99) was promoted to equity partner at his law firm, Evert Weathersby Houff (EWH) in the Buckhead district of Atlanta. Wilson joined EWH’s Atlanta office after serving on the Bellwether trial teams for multiple trials in multi-district litigation and working in Cleveland, Ohio, as a SAG-AFTRA franchised agent.

Larry Ebert (Engr ’85 CM) recently contributed an essay “Systems Thinking Mindset in the Age of AI,” to AI and Consciousness in Organizations and Society, published by Palgrave Macmillan. He also wrote “The Promise and Perils of AI in the Arts,” included in The World Remade by Artificial Intelligence, published by McFarland. Ebert teaches courses on agentic AI and the impact of AI on critical thinking and creativity at the University of San Francisco. He continues to work as a management consultant and professional musician.

Justin Humphreys (Col ’01) contributed to Sophia by Eisenstaedt, the collector’s edition book of photographs of actress Sophia Loren by the great photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.

Christopher Jamison (Col ’07) released his ninth studio album, Altered Ego, continuing a career marked by thoughtful songwriting and national recognition—including praise from The Austin Chronicle, which once dubbed him “the Paul Simon of Texas.” Now balancing life as a musician, educator and father of two with his wife, Meg Williams (Arch ’06 CM), Jamison credits his formative Wednesday nights playing at The Virginian as a core UVA experience that shaped both his musical voice and sense of community. Altered Ego will be available on Bandcamp beginning December 21.

Emily Wright Winans (Com ’22) and Nick Winans (Engr ’22) were married in Tuscany, Italy, Aug. 31, 2025. Ms. Winans met Mr. Winans in college at a Super Bowl mixer between her sorority and his fraternity, following in the footsteps of her parents, who also met at a UVA fraternity hosue.

William Lawson (Darden ’72) and Catherine Wood Lawson will celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary in 2026. Mr. Lawson is retired from Eli Lilly. The couple spends summers at their lake cottage on Lake Charlevoix, Michigan. In the winter, they spend time in Saint Barthélemy, Sarasota, Florida and Rosemary Beach, Florida. They fly fish in the western North Carolina mountains in the fall and spend several weeks in Europe in the spring shoulder season.

Lawson keeps in touch with fellow alumni Marc Christman (Darden ’72 CM), who is recently fully retired and is living in Chicago with his wife, Deirdre; Byron Donics (Darden ’72), who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, raising horses with his wife, Debby; David Vondle (Darden ’72) and his wife Debbie, who are residents of Grand Cayman and recently completed a multi year build of a beautiful beach front home in Cayman Kai; and Larry Killgallon (Darden ’72), who is celebrating 50 years of marriage with his wife, Debbie. The Killgallons live in Bryan, Ohio, and frequently travel the world and visit family in various parts of the southern U. S.

Sean “Ed” Patterson (Col ’73) retired from a 43-year career as a clinical development scientist. He served on teams at Fortune 50 companies that gained FDA approval for a number of improved treatments for patients with rare diseases. During his career, he published 11 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals. He currently resides in Cape Coral, Florida, playing pickleball, practicing bass guitar, reading fiction, staying fit and volunteering for community service.

Steven Gordon Krug (Com ’86 CM) was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in history from the University of Georgia. Krug specializes in colonial and early American history with an emphasis on the intellectual origins of republicanism and its influence on national economic development. His dissertation examined the evolution of the Virginia plantation economy during the Jeffersonian era.

Margaret “Margie” McManus (Col ’89) has been appointed the inaugural chief academic advancement officer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, effective December 1, 2025. Working in the Provost’s office, she will lead efforts to align philanthropic initiatives with UH Mānoa’s strategic academic and research priorities, develop a multi-year advancement strategy, and advise campus leadership on donor relations and long-term development goals. McManus currently serves as professor of oceanography and director of the Uehiro Center for the Advancement of Oceanography. Since joining UH Mānoa in 2003, she has been instrumental in building endowed and programmatic funds that support faculty and students, strengthen research and education, and expand the university’s global impact.

Kimberly Behre Kenna (Col ’79) will publish her latest novel, Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances, on March 3. The middle-grade adventure, the third installment in her Brave Girls Collection, follows a 13-year-old grieving the loss of her twin sister while spending the summer in her quirky agoraphobic uncle’s unique castle home. Part of the proceeds from book sales will benefit Friends of Gillette Castle State Park and The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Connecticut.

Grace Elizabeth Hale, Commonwealth Professor of American Studies, received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress for her upcoming book, They Don’t Own Us: Harlan County, Kentucky and the Past and Future of American Works. The grant gives contemporary nonfiction authors $40,000 to aid their projects, as well as publicity guidance. They Don’t Own Us examines labor struggles in the changing political social and economic climate of the 60s and 70s, and reflects on how this period impacts our labor climate today.

Clifton W. Potter Jr. (Grad ’64,’70 CM) published Yankees in the Hill City, The Union Prisoner of War Camp in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1862-1865 with McFarland and Company, Publishers, Inc. It is the first comprehensive study of the rarely-mentioned transit camp that existed in Lynchburg from June 1862 until April 1865. Using the diaries of soldiers who were held there, as well as extant manuscripts and burial records, Potter fashions the story of a POW camp unlike any other in the Confederacy. He is professor of history emeritus at the University of Lynchburg.

Alexandra Rains (Col ’19 CM) and Jonathan Hartley celebrated their wedding with family, friends and many fellow Hoos in Afton, Virginia, on October 11. Reuniting with so many loved ones in Charlottesville and on Grounds made the weekend extra special. The couple honeymooned in Switzerland.