Class Notes - Spring 2016

’10s

Hailey Jones ’16 will follow graduation with a 4,000-mile, cross-country bike ride to support Bike & Build, a nonprofit benefitting affordable housing. The bioengineering major, who took four service trips while at UMD, will travel from Connecticut to California over 10 weeks.

Jakob Metz ’15 joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty as a Realtor and member of the Metz Group. He specializes in residential sales throughout Baltimore.

Emily Lorraine Wagner M.S. ’15 and Justin Allen Shaub were married June 27 at the University of Mount Union Dewald Chapel in Alliance, Ohio. She is a chemistry teacher in Marlington Local Schools.

The first collection of poetry from Marlena Chertock ’13, “On That One-way Trip to Mars,” was published May 6 by Bottlecap Press. It is a space journey that includes aliens finding the Golden Record, the increasing warmth of the sun, and zero gravity to give aching bones a break.

Pianist Daniel Pereira D.M.A. ’13, a professor of music at the West Kensington Music Team in London, has had his first book published, “We Can’t Always Play Waltzes,” co-authored by oboist Bert Lucarelli. In addition, the Piano Magazine Clavier Companion published his article, “The Teachings of Alfred Cortot,” in its January/February 2016 issue.

Vocalist and songwriter Mark Luckenbill ’12 released his self-titled debut EP, featuring a modern country sound, in February.

Alyssa Samek Ph.D. ’12 joined California State University Fullerton’s College of Communications as assistant professor of human communication studies. She has taught courses in political communication, advocacy, public speaking, gender studies and women’s studies at Colorado State University, UMD and, most recently, at Drake University in Iowa.

Ryan Miller ’12, a managing director in the Baltimore office of the commercial real estate firm Savills Studley, was elected to Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, Inc.’s Associate Leadership Council. He was also named one of Living Classrooms’ 2016 Rising Stars.

Arielle Gelman ’11 married Justin Cohen on March 20 at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, N.J. She analyzes ratings for television and theatrical films in the New York office of Comcast. She received two degrees from Drexel University: a master’s degree in television management and an MBA.

Andrew Gonnella ’11 was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Vortex Infrastructure Products. He joined the company in 2014 as business development manager.

Selma Hepp Ph.D. ’11 was appointed to the new position of vice president of business intelligence for Pacific Union International, the nation’s ninth-largest real estate firm. She most recently served as chief economist for Trulia.

Monica Rahman ’11 left a successful career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, then Capital One to become a professional freelance model in New York City. She’s also launching a business offering affordable makeup classes. See more on her website and Instagram account (topxrahman).

Diana Saez D.M.A. ’11, founder of Coral Cantigas, was honored by GALA Hispanic Theatre at its annual Noche de Estrellas benefit on May 10. Coral Cantigas is a D.C.-based chamber chorus that sought to increase awareness of the many styles of Latin choral music. The 2015–16 season marks Cantigas’ 25th anniversary and farewell season.

Dheeraj Pasham M.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’14 has received an Einstein Fellowship from NASA to continue conducting his research on the topic “Quest for the Elusive Intermediate-mass Black Holes” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cyrus Peyrovian ’10 was named an associate at NaviMed Capital, a health care-focused private equity firm based in Washington, D.C. Peyrovian was previously part of the Business Development team at Healthagen, a division of Aetna.

’00s

“Bastards of the Reagan Era” by Reginald Dwayne Betts ’09 was on the shortlist for the 2016 PEN Open Book Award, given to an exceptional book-length work of literature by an author of color in 2015.

Constance Iloh ’09 was named to Forbes magazine’s 2016 “30 Under 30” list in the education category. A postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, she presented her research on underserved college students at last year’s White House summit on education excellence for African Americans.

Benjamin Langmead M.S. ’09, Ph.D. ’12, an assistant professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, received the Benjamin Franklin Award from Bioinformatics.org at the 2016 Bio-IT World Conference & Expo for his development of open-source and cloud-based bioinformatics software.

Mariah Sim ’09 recently became an assistant state’s attorney for Montgomery County. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Cybersecurity startup Terbium Labs, whose CEO is Danny Rogers Ph.D. ’08, has raised $6.4 million in venture capital funding. He said the cash will help the Baltimore company market and improve Matchlight, its system to detect when stolen information is posted online.

The nuptials of Daniel Chung ’07 and Hanna Kim ’07 were featured in Washingtonian magazine in March, focusing on their rustic wedding and reception held in rural Walkersville, Md.

Adriana Hofer Ph.D. ’07 is the new director of the Global Engagement Office for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. She is an assistant professor of supply chain management at the college and leads a study abroad trip to Brazil every other year.

“Left Swipes & Love: A Millennial’s Guide to Dating, Hookups and Tinder,” published and co-edited by Amanda Nachman ’07, founder of College Magazine, explores the ins and outs of millennial dating from the first swipe to getting a breakup text. It reached No. 1 on the Amazon Best Seller list in the category of College & University Life.

Samantha Sault ’07 married Matthew Lauer on March 11 at city hall in Geneva, Switzerland. She is the vice president for communications at the United States Fashion Industry Association in Washington.

Kelcey (Powell) Swyers M.S. ’07 received the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame’s Rising Star Award. Swyers has spent her life involved in the agriculture industry. She grew up on her family’s farm, showed livestock in 4-H and FFA and earned dual degrees in animal science and agricultural business from Colorado State University (CSU). After earning her master’s in equine nutrition at UMD, she completed a doctorate in ruminant nutrition at CSU. She now runs Grassland Nutrition Consulting in Yuma, Colo.

Scott Walker Ph.D. ’07, an assistant professor of math at Louisiana State University, has received a $40,200 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to pursue his research on mathematical algorithms to correctly simulate liquid crystals. The award honors junior faculty for outstanding research and education.

Lloyd DeWitt Ph.D. ’06 was appointed chief curator and curator of European art at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va. Previously, DeWitt worked as a curator of European art at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he organized the record-breaking show “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus.”

Steven A. Book ’06, an associate at the law firm Kramon & Graham, has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Maryland Super Lawyers 2016 for his work in business and civil litigation.

Courtney Fallon ’06 joined WFXT-TV FOX 25 in Boston as a sports reporter and anchor. She came from SportsNet New York, where she had been an on-air host since July 2015. While in New York City, she was also an on-air host for “The Bleacher Report” and the “MeetingInTheCity” sports radio podcast. Prior to that, Fallon worked as a 2015 NFL draft correspondent for the NFL Network and as a college football sideline reporter for CBS.

CPA Philip J. Wimbish Jr. ’06 was named a partner at Mullen, Sondberg, Wimbish and Stone in Annapolis. He has been with the firm since 2006.

Jason Bleck ’05 married Julie Gordon April 9 at the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, N.J. He is a lawyer and a producer at the Sanborn Media Factory in Manhattan, which specializes in advertising campaigns. He graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University.

Amanda Espina ’05, a visual arts teacher at Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy, was named Prince George’s County’s 2016 teacher of the year. She was praised for her professional skills, devotion, love of children and support of other educators.

Ryan A. Mitchell ’05, an associate at the law firm Kramon & Graham, has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Maryland Super Lawyers 2016 for his work in business and construction litigations.

Beth-Ann Ryan M.L.S. ’05, deputy director of the Delaware Division of Libraries, has been named a “Mover and Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication Library Journal. She was selected because of her work in harnessing technology to maximize strategic partnerships.

Damika Baker ’04 was appointed acting director of advancement at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Md. For the past year, Baker served as assistant director of development and membership at the museum. Baker previously worked on special events and donor relations for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater.

Dr. Gil Ben-Menachem MBA ’04 was appointed to vice president of business development at Kitov Pharmaceuticals, a late-stage drug development company. He was most recently head of innovative products at Dexcel Pharma, the second-largest Israeli pharmaceutical company. Ben-Menachem received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University and concluded his postdoctoral training in immunology and microbiology at the National Institutes of Health.

Accountants Blaise Moreland ’03 and Gary Franklin ’82 have been named partners at the accounting, tax and advisory firm CohnReznick, based in the Bethesda, Md., practice.

Kristina Mariam Wihl ’03 married Reid Stevenson Howell April 14 at Rose Hill Manor in Leesburg, Va. She owns CUC Consulting in Alexandria, Va., which specializes in managing projects in, or involving, hazard zones for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the Defense Department. She received an MBA from the online learning division of the University of Phoenix.

Dr. Rachel Goldman ’02 will be featured in the June issue of the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology magazine for her work as a bariatric psychologist at the Bellevue Center for Obesity & Weight Management. She is also a clinical assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine who has appeared on Sirius XM Doctor Radio to talk about hot topics in health, nutrition and weight loss. Formerly the president of UMD’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, today she chairs the Early Career Investigator Committee of the Obesity Society and has been a walk leader and organizer of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Foundation’s Walk from Obesity in New York.

Jessica (Ghaffari) Markham ’02 founded Markham Law Firm, a family law practice serving Maryland and Washington D.C. She was named a “Rising Star” by Maryland Super Lawyers for 2011–16 and by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers for the years 2013–16. Most recently Montgomery County Executive Isaiah Leggett appointed Markham to serve a three-year term on the county’s Commission for Juvenile Justice.

Steven Tom ’02 was promoted to senior vice president of TESSCO Technologies, a supplier of wireless communications products. He’s been with the firm for four years, and previously led the Marketing Strategy and Analytics organization at Algeco Scotsman. He has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Aaron Bodoh-Creed ’01 and Lisa Seeman were married Sept. 5 in the redwood grove at the University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley and their reception at the Lawrence Hall of Science. He earned a doctorate in economics from Stanford University and is a faculty member at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. The couple lives in San Francisco.

Alan Braun ’01 was hired as technology officer and executive vice president of product at the software company ScrollMotion, based in New York. He previously worked at MicroMuse, then Apple, where he directed the Enterprise Innovation Lab.

David Whitehill ’01, M.Arch. ’07, AIA, was promoted to partner at Kliment Halsband Architects. He joined the firm in 2008 and became an associate in 2011. In 2013, he opened KHA’s Massachusetts office in Northampton. He is currently managing a team for the expansion and renovation of Friends Seminary in New York City.

Lolly Bowean M.Jour. ’00 and Mary Louise Schumaker ’99 were among 24 journalists named 2017 fellows by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Bowean, a reporter at The Chicago Tribune, will study the cultural differences between the African-American descendants of American slavery and the children of black immigrants. She also will research the evolution of the black family in America. Schumacher, the art and architecture critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, will study emerging strategies within the fields of architecture and urban design for addressing issues of racial and economic inequity‪.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Michael Kuntz ’00 joined USA Today as senior vice president of digital revenue. He most recently served as senior vice president of global sales and partnerships at Gawker Media Group. Prior to joining Gawker, Kuntz served as publisher and chief revenue officer of Popular Mechanics at Hearst Corp.

Nick Marchica ’00 joined the law firm of Baker & McKenzie’s North American Corporate & Securities Practice as a partner in New York, bringing experience in advising global companies on corporate transactions, with an emphasis on those involving the Asia Pacific region. He comes from Allen & Overy LLP and was most recently based in Jakarta and Sydney. He has a law degree from Fordham University.

Daniel “D.J.” Rosenthal ’00 was named associate managing director in the Investigations and Disputes Practice of Kroll’s Washington, D.C., office. He most recently served as a White House counterterrorism and cybersecurity official, and prior to that, as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security in the U.S. Department of Justice. Rosenthal, who earned his law degree from George Washington University, also serves on the faculty of UMD’s Honors College, where he developed and teaches a course on national security dilemmas.

’90s

Anjali N.C. Downs ’99, M.P.H. ’02 was promoted to members of the D.C. office of Epstein Becker Green in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice.

Tamara Hopkins ’99, AIA, has been promoted to associate in the Washington, D.C., office of WDG, a firm specializing in architecture, planning and interiors. She joined WDG in 2005 and was the project architect on the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, completed in 2013, and is project architect on the Squash on Fire mixed-use redevelopment in D.C.’s West End.

Jonathan Penn ’99 has joined the Buyer Platform team at Tremor Video as national director of Automotive. He is based in the New York office of the company, which provides buyers and sellers with software for video ad effectiveness.

Ayanna Robinson M.P.M. ’99, executive vice president at global public relations firm Porter Novelli, was named a top woman in PR by industry trade PR News. Robinson joined Porter Novelli in 2001 and has worked with clients in industries spanning agriculture, food & beverage and health care. Her work has been recognized with more than 30 PR industry awards.

Christopher Smith ’99, an attorney in the Austin, Texas, office of Thompson & Knight, was included in the Chambers USA 2016 legal directory by Chambers & Partners as “Leaders in their Field.” He was noted for his expertise in the environmental category.

Mac Gardner ’98 has written a new book, “The Four Money Bears,” to educate young children about financial literacy. The certified financial planner has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years. He published his first book, “Motivate Your Money!,” in 2013 following requests from clients for ways to teach their kids about managing money. He believes that children who gain exposure to money management skills are likely to develop healthy financial planning habits as adults.

Brian Piper MBA ’98 was promoted to chief financial officer at Medgenics. He joined the firm in April 2014 as vice president of finance and investor relations. Prior to that, he worked at Shire Pharmaceuticals for 13 years.

Claire Yu M.S. ’98, research and development program manager at USG’s Corporate Innovation Center in Libertyville, Ill., has been named by the Manufacturing Institute as an honoree of its fourth annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Ahead Awards. Since joining USG more than a decade ago, Yu has played a key role in developing products and technologies that have enabled innovation in building design and construction.

Robert Blaser M.Arch ’97 was promoted to associate principal at Michael Graves Architecture & Design. He joined the firm in 1998 and has considerable experience in hospitality projects, including serving as project architect for Resorts World Sentosa, an integrated resort consisting of six hotels, a Universal Studios theme park and maritime museum off the coast of Singapore.

Christopher T. Jones Ph.D. ’97, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Technology Services, was named the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year at the 30th annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Global Competitiveness Conference in February. Jones serves on the board of directors of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering and on the board of visitors for the University of Maryland College Park Clark School of Engineering, the Georgia Tech Advisory Board and the Air Force Association Board.

Val Fox MBA ’96 was promoted to chief marketing officer for Bentley University. She was hired there in 2012 as director of digital engagement. Previously, Fox served as vice president of marketing for a VC-backed startup and led the marketing strategy and evolution of digital platforms at Forrester Research.

Ariel Jasie ’96 was appointed chief business officer at Codiak BioSciences. He came from Celgene Corp., where he led the Strategy and Operations Group in the Research and Early Development franchise after two promotions. He received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Brett Wein ’96 was appointed head of strategic accounts for North America at Teads, a video advertising platform. He is formerly the industry lead at Facebook, one of that company’s first 30 employees in New York.

Deana Cairo ’95 was named a partner in the Denver office of Tucker Ellis, where she works in the firm’s antitrust and competition law group. She comes from DLA Piper in Washington, D.C., and received her law degree from George Washington University.

Neil Goldstein ’95 was appointed senior vice president and group publisher of American Media’s Entertainment titles including Star, OK!, National Enquirer and Soap Opera Digest. He joined the company in 2009 and most recently served as vice president and group publisher of Star and National Enquirer. Previously, Goldstein served as associate publisher of Maximand held management positions at Bauer Publishing.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan appointed Lisa Louise Broten ’94 to judgeship on the District Court in Howard County. After becoming a county prosecutor in 1998, Broten held several leadership positions, including chief of the District Court Division. She earned her law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Harsha Kumar M.S. ’94 was named president of Prodapt, based in New York. He spent the last 15 years on the senior leadership team at Virtusa, an IT consulting, transformation and outsourcing provider.

Derrick Cobey ’93 was named chief product officer at hCentive, a provider of health insurance exchange solutions. Most recently, he served as chief technology officer for Mediware’s Human and Social Services Division.

The National Association of Professional Women inducted Alycia Cooper ’93 into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle for 2016–17. She has performed comedy acts on national television programs such as NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and “America’s Got Talent” and will star in three independent films in 2016. In addition, she serves as CEO of Triumphant Enterprises, which creates and pitches television shows, films and documentaries. Previously, she produced and directed for “Dr. Phil” and the BET Network.

Nicole Calabro ’92 was named a partner in the law firm of Baker & McKenzie in the compensation and employment law practice based in San Francisco. She earned her J.D. from Pepperdine University.

Asif Choudhury ’92 was elected executive secretary for the Construction Financial Management Association for the next year. He is the founder and president of Bahar Consulting. Previously, he served director of operations for a mechanical contracting company in the D.C. area. He earned an MBA from American University.

Charles Hicks ’92, chief financial officer of SC3, a defense consulting firm based in Alexandria, Va., was appointed to chief operating officer.

Matt Vigano ’92 became national accounts manager at Pittsburgh-based bedding company American Textile Co.

Paul C. Retzbach ’91 was named chief operating officer of CertiPath. He has over 20 years of experience in the global security and software markets. Most recently he served as vice president of customer services for VidSys.

Dan Blake ’90 joined SC&H Group, an audit, tax and consulting firm as a principal in its new Microsoft Dynamics Consulting practice. Blake has more than 25 years of software development and systems architecture/engineering experience. He most recently served as a senior consultant at Microsoft.

Anirma Gupta ’90 joined Tanium Inc. as general counsel. She came from Intuit, where she worked for more than 11 years on intellectual property, anti-piracy work and product counseling. Tanium sells software for information technology security and management.

Li-Gang Liu ’90 has joined Citi as managing director and chief economist for China after six years at ANZ. He is based in Hong Kong and is a veteran China observer specializing in macroeconomics, foreign exchange and capital markets. He holds a doctorate in economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Mark S. Warner M.A. ’90 in his new book “Eating in the Side Room: Food, Archaeology, and African American Identity,” uses food remains from excavations in Annapolis and the Chesapeake region to show how African Americans established a sense of identity in the face of pervasive racism and marginalization. He was heavily involved in the Archaeology in Annapolis program while at UMD and is now a professor of anthropology at the University of Idaho.

Chris Wemple III ’90 was promoted from captain to deputy chief of police in Alexandria, Va. He joined the Alexandria Police Department in 1991 and most recently commanded the Patrol Support Division. His new assignment is to command the Operations Support Bureau.

Christine Windle ’90 was unanimously elected chief executive officer of the Dulles Area Association of Realtors. She had served DAAR for over nine years as director of public policy and communications. She has a Master of Public Administration degree from George Mason University. She and husband Charlie Windle ’91 and their two sons live in Purcellville, Va.

’80s

Warren E. Moore ’89 was promoted to president and chief executive officer of Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. Moore joined the hospital in 1998 and served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the past nine years. In 2015 he assumed the additional role of chief administrative officer at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a role in which he will continue. He has a master’s degree in health and human service administration from Rider University.

The latest book from David Krell ’89, “Our Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers in History, Memory and Popular Culture,” came out in October. It explores the team’s impact on popular culture and reveals lesser-known details of the team’s history. Krell is also an attorney.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell nominated Patrice Gilliam-Johnson Ph.D. ’88 to head the state’s Department of Labor. She chairs the Organizational Dynamics Program at Wilmington University. Before entering a career in education in 1997, she was a business consultant with an expertise in human resources. She has also served in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the District of Columbia Courts and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Tara K. Gorman ’88, MBA ’97 has joined Perkins Coie’s real estate practice group as a partner in the D.C. office. Gorman, who focuses on hotel development and acquisitions, was previously a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP. She is a professor in residence with the Hospitality and Tourism Law Program at American University’s Washington College of Law and a member of the Advisory Board of Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management.

Carissa L. Rodeheaver ’88 was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer for First United Bank & Trust, which has branches in Western Maryland and West Virginia. She began her career with First United in 1992 as a trust officer. Rodeheaver is serving her second term on the board of directors of the Maryland Bankers Association. She also serves on the board of the Garrett College Foundation and an advisory member of the Garrett County Development Corp.

Deborah Yates ’88 joined Blackbird Technologies as senior litigation counsel. She was recently counsel at WilmerHale, a general practice firm. Yates received her law degree from George Mason University, where she graduated first in her class, as she also did at UMD. She also holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Humane Society of Harford County hired Mary C. Zink ’88 as its first full-time, on-site shelter veterinarian. She oversees the medical needs of the 4,500 animals the organization sees annually. Zink completed her veterinary education at The Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She began her career practicing small animal veterinary medicine in a traditional clinic setting, went on to a house-call practice, then moved into the animal health industry. For the last seven years, she worked with the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City and Baltimore Humane Society, and most recently was director of veterinary services at the Maryland SPCA.

Mitchell Barkley ’87 was named Liaison to the Eyewear and Accessories Division at the Vision Council. He joins the optical trade organization from Mondottica USA, where he served as CEO. In addition, he was formerly the CEO of VIVA International.

John A. Bourgeois ’87, a principal at the law firm Kramon & Graham, was recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers 2016 for his work in business litigation and criminal defense. He has been selected to appear in the Super Lawyers directory every year since 2009. Benchmark Litigation 2016 also recognized Bourgeois for his work in the areas of criminal defense, general commercial litigation, personal injury and professional liability.

Elissa Buie MBA ’87, co-founder and CEO of Yeske Buie, was named to Washingtonianmagazine’s 2016 list of Top Wealth Advisers. She has appeared on all five of Washingtonian’s previous lists and was named among Financial Times’ Top 100 Women Financial Advisers in 2014. In 2015, Buie was listed on InvestmentNews’ inaugural Women to Watch list.

Brenda Lowe ’87 was appointed a director of the College of Southern Maryland Foundation. She is a business development officer with Old Line Bank, Waldorf and serves as immediate past president of Southern Maryland Women’s League, and as executive officer and treasurer of the Southern Maryland Women’s League Foundation.

“Nine Women, One Dress,” a novel by Huffington Post contributor Jane L. (Levenbaum) Rosen ’87, will be published by Penguin Random House on July 12 and has already been translated into eight languages. The Hollywood Reporter calls it “‘Love Actually’ meets ‘Sex and the City’ as the little black dress of the season brings together the intersecting stories of nine women looking for love in NYC.”

Kenneth Boulton M.M. ’86, D.M.A. ’97 has accepted the position of School of Fine Arts dean at Northern State University in South Dakota. He was most recently professor of piano at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he also served as interim head of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts from 2011 to 2015. Additionally, Boulton served as interim director of Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts and director of the Southeastern Community Music School.

Brian Dawson ’86 was selected to lead Cushman & Wakefield’s investor services and agency leasing practice in D.C. He led the real estate firm’s D.C. region until the company was acquired by Chicago real estate giant DTZ. Dawson now oversees a network of more than 140 D.C.-area brokers in suburban Maryland, D.C. and Northern Virginia. He joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2007 as co-manager of its capital markets group.

Dana Feldman ’86 was promoted to vice president / promotions at Sinclair Broadcast Group. She has been with Sinclair since 2000, most recently serving as director of promotion and programming.

Marcia Porter ’86, a media specialist at Lockerman Middle School in Denton, Md., was named Caroline County Public Schools’ 2016-17 Teacher of the Year. She was also named the lead PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator for Maryland.

Scott A. Davis ’85 was promoted to executive vice president and chief technology officer at DuPont Fabros Technology. He was most recently the company’s executive vice president of data center operations and previously served as director of operations for DuPont Fabros Development and senior vice president of operations for DuPont Fabros Technology.

Michael Dunn ’85 joined Old Line Bank as vice president and regional production manager for its mortgage banking division in Baltimore. He has 30 years of industry experience; his prior roles include senior vice president of Bay Capital Mortgage and area manager with Prosperity Home Mortgage.

Joseph Amato ’84 joined the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines as executive vice president/chief financial officer. During a 15-year career at Freddie Mac, Amato held a number of management positions, most recently, chief financial officer/senior vice president–investments & financial planning. He earned an MBA from George Washington University.

Christopher E. Kubasik ’83 was elected to the Board of Governors of the Wings Club Foundation, dedicated to the advancement and development of aviation. The president and chief operating officer of L-3 Communications has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, including at the Seabury Advisory Group LLC and Lockheed Martin Corp. He also serves on the University of Maryland Board of Trustees.

San Diego poet and writer Jon Wesick Ph.D. ’83 penned a novel about graduate school in physics, “The Department.” Its characters are romantic heroes who gamble careers and marriages for a glimpse at nature’s secrets. “There have been plenty of books and movies about medical interns and law students,” Wesick says. “I wanted there to be a satire about physics students in the high-pressure environment of their first year of graduate school. We worked just as hard and studied a subject that is just as demanding.”

Gary Garofalo ’82 was promoted to president and COO of Harkins Builders. He joined Harkins in 1991 and served as chief financial officer since 1992.

Phyllis R. Caldwell ’81, MBA ’87 was named chair of the board of directors at Ocwen Financial Corp. Caldwell joined Ocwen’s board in 2015. She previously served as chief of the Homeownership Preservation Office at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Lisa Amster ’80 was promoted to co-manager of the D.C. office of international architecture firm Gensler. She joined Jordan Goldstein ’94—who was also promoted to co-managing principal of the Southeast—in overseeing the second-largest architecture office in the District, The Washington Business Journal reported.

Carolyn L. Karcher Ph.D. ’80 has written “A Refugee from His Race: Albion W. Tourgee and His Fight against White Supremacy.” It reexamines the often-caricatured relations between progressive whites and African Americans through the lens of Tourgee, a white writer and activist for the rights of African Americans.

Richard H. Weiner ’80, managing shareholder of Aronsohn Weiner, Salerno, Bremer & Kaufman, P.C., was named Bergen County (N.J.) Professional Lawyer of the Year by the officers, trustees and members of the Bergen County Bar Association in recognition of his 32-year career. He was also one of five attorneys to win the 2015 Best Lawyer of the Year award for his work in family law by Best Lawyers of America. He is also past president of the 2200 member Bergen County Bar Association.

’70s

Randy Day M.S. ’79 was promoted to chief operating officer of Perdue Farms. He’s been with the company for 36 years, most recently as president of Perdue Foods LLC.

Rick Harcum ’79 was appointed Frederick County’s budget director. He recently retired from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where he served as director of performance management, budget director and in other budget-related roles over 25 years. Harcum is also a member of the executive board of the nonprofit Celebrate Frederick.

Gary Ratcliff ’79, M.Ed. ’86 was named director of the Montrose campus of Colorado Mesa University. He had most previously been assistant vice chancellor of student life at the University of California, San Diego.

Cassandra Jennings ’78 was named head of the Greater Sacramento Urban League. She had served as interim leader since October. She previously worked for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for 18 years, as an assistant city manager tasked with finance, information technology, human resources and general services, and as an adviser to Mayor Kevin Johnson, leading initiatives such as Sacramento Steps Forward and For Art’s Sake. She serves on the boards of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and Golden 1 Credit Union.

Dawn S. Baker Ph.D. ’77 and Patrick A. Garrett, assistant professor of music education at West Liberty University had their textbook, “Music Content and Strategies for Elementary Classroom Teachers,” published by Linus Learning in March.

In the new book “Life Lessons Learned,” Francis X. Ryan MBA ’77 shares the story of his walk 2,806 miles across America in 2014 to raise awareness of the needs of children with emotional and behavioral issues and for developmentally disabled children. He is a retired marine reserve colonel whose decorations include three Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the US Army Commendation Medal. He is also a CPA, author, commentator and expert in corporate restructurings and management.

Mike Livingston ’75 retired from his position as president of the Bank of Glen Burnie on April 1, after 19 years there. Bank of Glen Burnie has eight branches with about 100 employees in Anne Arundel County.

Jill McCroskey Coupe M.L.S. ’75 released her debut novel, “True Stories at the Smoky View,” in April. In it, an art history librarian and mother rescues a boy who has been abandoned with no shoes outside the Tennessee funeral home she’s just left to mourn the passing of an estranged friend. The Blizzard of 1993 strands this unlikely duo at the Smoky View Motel, where, motivated in part by the unsolved murders of the boy’s parents, they begin to uncover the truth about her friend’s death.

Rajendra Singh ’75, principal owner of Telecom Ventures and a Wireless Hall of Fame inductee, joined the board of directors of the cybersecurity tech firm Blackpoint. Telecom has made a significant investment in the company.

Connie Weaver ’75, chief marketing officer at TIAA, led the rebranding of what was known as TIAA-CREF, a financial services provider in the academic, research, medical, cultural and government. It also includes a new logo, website and advertising campaign.

Roger S. Goldman ’74 joined the Real Estate Practice Group as a partner in the Miami office of Duane Morris LLP. He has extensive experience in complex and sophisticated real estate, financial and other business transactions, and most recently worked at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, P.A. Goldman earned his law degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

John Ferrara ’73 was appointed CFO of Cartesian, a provider of consulting services for the communications, technology and digital media industries. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry as an officer, director and adviser to private and public companies. He previously served as CFO for TheStreet, an independent digital financial media company, as well as CFO of EDGAR Online, a provider of company data and public filings. Ferrara has an MBA from Columbia University.

Michael J. Ward ’72 was appointed to the board of directors of the PNC Financial Services Group. Since 2003, Ward has been chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp., one of the world’s largest railroad companies.

Pearl Moon Alpacas, a Carroll County, Md., alpaca farm and fiber studio owned by Mary and Tom Wilson ’71, launched a new website, www.PearlMoonAlpacas.com. Users can learn about raising alpacas, see some of Pearl Moon’s alpacas for sale, view upcoming events, and get a glimpse of new baby alpacas (crias) on the homepage slideshow and photo gallery.

’60s

Louis Mezzullo ’67, M.A. ’76 was named director of Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. He was most recently consulting partner at Withers Bergman in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. He has held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Miami School of Law graduate program in estate planning, the University of San Diego School of Law and the University of Richmond Law School, where he earned his J.D.

Simon Levin Ph.D. ’64, Princeton University’s George M. Moffett Professor of Biology and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, received a National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor during a White House ceremony in early 2016. Levin focuses his research on complexity, particularly how large-scale patterns—such as at the ecosystem level—are maintained by small-scale behavioral and evolutionary factors at the level of individual organisms. He joined Princeton’s faculty from Cornell University in 1992.

Louis I. Kaplan ’62, a partner at Nusinov Smith LLP, has joined the Expert Network, an invitation-only service for distinguished professionals. He previously practiced with the SM Hyman Company, where he collaborated with other law firms, and also served as an attorney at the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service.

’50s

George Croushorn ’53 and June Croushorn celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Jan. 11. After graduating from UMD, where he was in advanced Air Force ROTC, Croushorn was stationed at Wolters Air Base in Mineral Wells, Texas. There, he met June at the East Side Dairy Queen in September 1955. Soon after their marriage, Croushorn was sent overseas during the Korean War for until August 1957. He then worked for the Texas Employment Commission for 37 years. They have two children – Sharon Puckett and Stacy Croushorn and one granddaughter, one grandson and one step-grandson; three great-grandchildren and four step-great grandchildren. The couple are longtime members of Salesville Baptist Church in Mineral Wells.

Passings

Former UMD track star Sean Lowe ’08 died Feb. 10 following a head-on collision with a suspected drunk driver in Lawrenceville, Ga. He was 29. His 10-month-old son, Cameron, died 11 days later as a result of his injuries. His fiancée, and the baby’s mother, Shanala Fischer-Williams, was seriously injured. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., to Arturo Torrence Lowe and Denise Marie Filmore, Lowe was an honor student throughout his school career and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at UMD. Lowe ran the 400 and 800 meters for the track team, and his 400-meter dash time of 46.57 seconds still stands as the second-best in program history. Lowe joined teammates Jeremy Samuels, Kyle Rauser and Anthony Walker to capture the 2008 ACC Championship in the 4 x 400 meter indoor relay. He was a team captain and volunteer assistant coach for the University of Maryland and the University of California at Los Angeles. He missed qualifying for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team by 0.4 second. Lowe went on to become a business development representative for Pepsi Beverage Co. and an account manager at Coca-Cola and Apple. He found his niche at Nike, where he combined his two best skill-sets: sales and sports. He is survived by Fischer-Williams and his mother, Denise Marie Filmore; brother Terry; maternal grandmother, Carolyn J. Washington; step-grandfather, Harvey Walker; an uncle, Clifford Gerard Filmore; a cousin Gerard Lake; and an extended family of cousins, who were like siblings to Sean. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, William Moses Filmore.

Elizabeth P. Allner ’92, a former employee of Glenn L. Martin and the CIA, died Feb. 26 of complications from dementia at her home in Bethesda, according to The Baltimore Sun. She was 89. The daughter of Harry Patterson, a farmer, and Charlotte Patterson, a homemaker, Elizabeth Spotswood Patterson was born in Littleton, N.C., and later moved with her family to Roland Park, where she graduated in 1944 from Roland Park Country School. She went to work at the old Glenn L. Martin Co. plant in Middle River building airplanes, and in the late 1940s joined the CIA and worked in Europe. There she met and fell in love with Frederick Abels Allner Jr., who was a CIA covert-operations specialist. They married in 1953. She supported her husband’s career, which included posts in embassies in Indonesia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The couple later divorced. Allner returned to college and was 66 when she received a bachelor’s degree in art history from UMD. She served as a docent at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. She is survived by two sons, Frederick III and Allen; a daughter, Page Allner Tyran; and seven grandchildren. Another son, Marine Lt. Carter Burwell Allner, died in 1983.

A.V. Christie M.F.A. ’91, a Philadelphia-area poet and teacher, died of breast cancer April 7 at the Neighborhood Health Inpatient Hospice at Chester County (Pa.) Hospital, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was 53. Christie was born in Redwood City, Calif., and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mt., and Kelowna, British Columbia. She was a graduate of Vassar College and studied under poet Stanley Plumly at UMD. Her first poetry collection, “Nine Skies,” won the 1996 National Poetry Series prize. She was a visiting writer and writer-in-residence at colleges including Villanova University and La Salle University; Bryn Mawr College; Goucher College, UMD and Pennsylvania State University at Abington. Christie’s poems, reviews, and interviews were widely published in Poetry, Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, The Iowa Review, Commonweal and other venues. Her 2004 collection “The Housing,” was a co-winner of the Robert McGovern Publication Prize. Her chapbook “And I Began to Entertain Doubts” is to be published posthumously in May by Folded Word Press. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Maryland State Arts Council, Christie worked for many years as a poet in the schools in Philadelphia as well as the Center for Talented Youth at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. At the time of her diagnosis, she was the deputy director of the Chester County Art Association. She is survived by her daughter, Gabriella Fattibene; her former husband, John Fattibene; brothers Joseph and Stuart Christie; and her sister, Alix Christie. She was preceded in death by her brother, Andrew Christie, and her mother, Glennys Christie.

Christine R. Gray M.A. ’87, Ph.D. ’95, an English professor at the Catonsville campus of the Community College of Baltimore County and author of a biography of black playwright Willis Richardson, died Jan. 25 of cancer at her daughter’s home in Richmond, Va., according to The Baltimore Sun. She was 68. Christine Rauchfuss was born in Baltimore and lived in Roland Park before moving with her family in 1955 to Caldwell County, N.C. She was a 1965 graduate of Lenoir High School in Lenoir, N.C., and two years later married Phillip Patrick Gray, a Johns Hopkins University student. The couple settled in Charles Village. After her husband’s death in 1972, she returned to Lenoir with their two children. She worked for five years as an advertising representative and theater critic for the Lenoir News-Topic. In 1979, she moved to Annapolis and worked in the advertising department of Capital-Gazette Newspapers, which is now owned by Tribune Publishing and is part of the Baltimore Sun Media Group. Gray received a bachelor’s degree in 1983 from George Washington University and graduate degrees in English literature from UMD. In 1988, she accepted a fellowship and traveled to Beijing, where she taught English for a year. Family members said she was an eyewitness to the 1989 student-led Tiananmen Square protests. A resident of Charles Village since 1993, Gray joined the faculty at CCCB in 1994 and had not retired at her death. Her biography of a pioneering black playwright, “Willis Richardson, Forgotten Pioneer of African-American Drama,” was published in 1999. Gray also contributed to the “Cambridge Companion to American Women Playwrights” published in 1997, and wrote a critical introduction in 1993 to the facsimile edition of “Plays and Pageants in the Life of the Negro.” She is survived by a daughter, Leslie Thompson; a son, Matthew Gray; brothers Tom, Mark and Stephen Rauchfuss; and two grandsons.

David G. Ghysels Jr. ’80, a former local stockbroker who helped establish a Florida home inspection business, died Feb. 1 of leiomyosarcoma at a sister’s Cockeysville’s home, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 57. Ghysels Jr. was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was raised in Oxford and in Hagerstown, where he graduated in 1976 from North Hagerstown High School. After finishing his degree at UMD, he worked as a stockbroker at Washington-based Johnston, Lemon & Co. Inc. and Baltimore-based Alex. Brown & Sons. He moved to Boca Raton, Fla., in 1991 and continued working in the financial industry until 2006, when he co-founded Windstorm Inspectors, a home inspection firm, in West Palm Beach, Fla. In addition to his parents David G. Ghysels Sr. and Doris McNall “Dody” Ghysels, Ghysels is survived by two sons, David and Drew; a daughter, Courtney Heather Ghysels; and two sisters, Lisa Ghysels Waters and Laura Ghysels Burden.

Martha Patton ’79, retired assistant director of career development at UMD, died March 6 at the age of 91. She was born in Parma, Ohio, the younger daughter of Kathleen (née Mullen) and Frank H. Kimball, who was in advertising. Growing up in the Depression taught her thrift, self-reliance and tenacity. She also learned the importance of seizing the moment and, in 1942, just after her high school graduation, Patton applied for and won a position in the War Department’s Cleveland Ordnance District. She was promoted and transferred to Washington D.C., and to the International Division of Services of Supply, where she worked in the newly completed Pentagon. She was recruited by one of the colonels to work at his New York law firm, Milbank, Tweed, Hope & Webb. Shortly thereafter, she met John H. Patton, a decorated, recently returned veteran. They married in 1946 and moved to the Washington area following the birth of the first of their children, ultimately settling in Greenbelt. In 1957, she took a position at UMD as a secretary, then in a number of increasingly responsible administrative roles before joining Placement and Credentials, the predecessor of the Career Center. She was named recruiting coordinator in 1976 and assistant director in 1982. Patton—whose four children all graduated from UMD—retired in 1984 after 27 years of service, but she continued to take courses at Maryland and participated in on-campus volunteer efforts to support people with hearing impairments. Perhaps because of her own hearing loss, music was Patton’s passion, and she regularly attended performances at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center until she was in her late 80s. She is survived by her son Michael; daughters Kathleen Bright and Mary Connell; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a niece. Her husband, John, and younger son, John Andrew predeceased her.

Walter F. Hannan ’75, a 25-year resident of Tracy’s Landing, Md., died on April 6. He was 64. Hannan grew up in Forestville, Md., graduated from Mt. Calvary in 1966 and McNamara High School in 1970 before earning his business administration degree from UMD. He had a long career with the Prince George’s County government, most recently as a parts specialist. Hannan attended St. Anthony Church, where he served as an usher. He was a 20-year member of the Knights of Columbus Calvert Council 7870. He also served on, or helped with charities including St. Anthony’s Ladies of Charity, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and Prince George’s County’s Christmas in April. Hannan is survived by his uncle and godfather, Bernard F. Hannan; his godmother, Virginia Manganelli; a sister, Peggy Gunde; and one nephew.

Karen Tamzarian Adrouny ’71 died June 12 in her home in Monte Sereno, Calif., after a long illness. Karen began her career as a paralegal for the Washington, D.C. law firm of Williams Connolly. She later worked for Southern California Edison and for then-U.S. Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) as his district representative. Upon moving to the Bay Area, she became active in community affairs with organizations including the Junior League of San Jose for which she served as president in 1994, the Santa Clara County Medical Association Auxiliary, the Good Samaritan Hospital Board, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, the Olympic Development program for young female soccer players, the California Youth Soccer Association and the Rotary Club. Her greatest role, however, was as a dedicated and loving mother, wife, daughter, sister and sister-in-law. She was the wife of Dr. A. Richard Adrouny for 33 years and the mother of Dr. Melissa Knar Adrouny and Gregory Adour Adrouny. She is also survived by her mother, Alyce Tamzarian; sister, Kay Fellows; four nieces and nephews; and many other family members.