Class Notes

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.