“I have just published my first book of poetry at age 80 and wanted to share my good news!”
—Sylvia Byrne Pollack Gr’67
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s| 2020s
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Deadlines 7/15 for the Sep|Oct issue; 9/15 for Nov|Dec; 11/15 for Jan|Feb; 1/15 for Mar|Apr; 3/15 for May|Jun; and 5/15 for Jul|Aug.
1951
Robert B. McKersie EE’51, professor emeritus of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management,writes, “I have summarized my career in two memoirs: A Decisive Decade: An Insider’s View of the Chicago Civil Rights Movement During the 1960s (2013) and A Field in Flux: Sixty Years of Industrial Relations (2019).”
1953
Shirley Magitson Grallnick Ed’53, who shared a poem in the Jul|Aug 2020 issue’s Alumni Notes, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has written this follow-up, titled “Strange Times”: I open my eyes / to another day / or—is it the same day? / It’s hard to tell. / Adjust the blinds to let in light, / collect morning papers, / brew coffee, sip juice, / listen to the news. / My sparkling eyes / now tinged with sadness. / Spurts of virus / warn us to follow guidelines / Trying to adapt to / This new normal / Forms my platform for the day. / As a member of the elderly / I seek my second vaccine shot / Living a day at a time / Wondering what / The future holds. / I am aware of / The knowns— / the unknowns / The fate of democracy, / climate, China, / Anti-Semitism, power / of one. / How can I act normal / When nothing is / The normal now / Being alone has led / to being creative / In cooking, painting, / Writing journals. / The distribution / of vaccines / leads to hope / that these strange times / will begin to fade. / We will begin to socialize; / find new activities, / Like we used to / Like we used to / Like we used to.
1958
Richard Saul Wurman Ar’58 GAr’59 [“Arts,” Mar|Apr 2018] has coauthored a book with Nigel Holmes, titled Mortality, containing statistics about death, life, longevity, causes of death, and other related issues, all presented graphically.
1961
Ya’akov (Jerrold) Aronson Ed’61, a retired university librarian at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, writes, “I’m directing the computerization of a small synagogue library in Rehovot, Israel. In addition, my wife and I have recently welcomed our 24th great-grandchild.”
H. Robert Fiebach W’61 L’64 writes, “I was greatly honored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession when it named its award given to persons and organizations for their promotion of women in the profession the H. Robert Fiebach Award. I served as president of the Bar Association in 1993–94 and established the Commission on Women in the Profession in 1993. I am proud that it continues to promote the professional interest and addresses the professional concerns of women in the legal profession to this day. As president, I helped to turn the all-white, all-male leadership of that organization into a much more diverse organization. I continue to mentor young women lawyers today.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1962
Steve Stovall W’62 ASC’63 writes, “We moved from our ranch in Hesperus, Colorado, to temporary lodging in Denver, and now we’re in a house in Thornton about 20 miles north of Denver. So much stuff in the house, there’s no room for us. Hopefully I can soon find a race to run, and I hope there’s an 80-plus age category for finishers. Those 70-plus age group runners are too fast for me. I trained all through the pandemic. We had record snowfall our first winter in Denver. Not having to plow made me glad to be off the ranch.”
1964
Charles Horner C’64 and Constance McNeely Horner CW’64 have made a donation of more than 1,000 predominately English language books on Chinese history, culture, and literature to the National Sun Yat-sen University’s department of Chinese literature in Taiwan. Charles is a sinologist and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, as well as a former official at the US State Department. In the 1980s and early ‘90s, Charles served as deputy assistant secretary of state and as associate director of the US Information Agency, helping craft US policy towards China. The event included a lecture, given by Charles, and an online Q&A session with the participants. During the event, Charles said, “It is a great honor for me to be associated with NSYSU—a place of growing importance in many different fields, both in science and humanities research. Connie and I hope to contribute to the development of the studies of China at NSYSU, as it is a great platform for studies in global sinology.”
1966
Stephen Klitzman C’66 see Zachary Klitzman C’10.
Cengiz Yetken GAr’66 has published an English version of his book Unlearning Architecture: Louis I. Kahn’s Graduate Studio and Office. Cengiz writes, “The book traces Louis Kahn Ar’24 Hon’71’s approach to architectural design through his poetic language and examines these ideas as means to create art and architecture.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1967
Sylvia Byrne Pollack Gr’67 writes, “I have just published my first book of poetry at age 80 and wanted to share my good news! Here’s what I’ve done since getting my PhD in 1967 from Penn’s department of developmental biology. After a year at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (then called Woman’s Medical College), I moved to the University of Washington in Seattle, where I worked in cancer research until retiring as research professor emerita. I had always dabbled in poetry but in retirement have been able to pursue it wholeheartedly, taking classes, meeting with other poets for critique, and publishing in poetry magazines online and in print. At the beginning of 2020, I began sending out my full-length poetry manuscript, Risking It. It was accepted by Red Mountain Press and published April 1. The book can be ordered through any bookstore or online at Amazon. My website is sylviabyrnepollack.com.”
1968
Lionel M. Schooler C’68 has been appointed to the board of trustees of the North America Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a credentialing organization for international arbitrators based in London. Lionel, who is a fellow of the Chartered Institute, also serves as the chair of the Texas chapter of the North American branch. He has served as an arbitrator since 1992, handling both domestic and international disputes, and is a frequent author and speaker on developments in arbitration. He also serves on the advisory committee to the Penn Class of 1968.
1970
Dr. Peter J. Barbour C’70 wrote and illustrated his third children’s book, Tanya and the Baby Elephant. More information can be found at PeteBarbour.com.
Ted R. Miller GCP’70 G’71 Gr’75 writes, “I recently passed several of my academic bucket-list goals. I have more than 111,111 citations with more than 306 documents cited at least 10 times, including 204 cited at least 30 times, 102 cited at least 102 times, and 25 cited at least 1,000 times. According to webometrics, I have one of the 4,444 highest citation rankings among the millions with public profiles on Google Scholar (www.webometrics.info/en/hlargerthan100). Within the past few years, I have received the highest awards from two groups: a Vision Award from the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and a Distinguished Career Award from the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association. My wife, Nancy Naomi Carlson, is a full-time professor of graduate counseling at Walden University. The New York Times Book Review featured her 2019 poetry book, An Infusion of Violets (Seagull Books), as ‘New and Notable.’ In 2018, she was decorated as Chevalier of the Order of the Academic Palms by the French government.”
Stuart Widman W’70 writes, “I’ve had some great trips in recent years. In 2018, my wife and I walked across the middle of England—about 105 miles over 12 days. In 2019, my eldest son and I kayaked along the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Sea, north of the Arctic circle—about 67 miles over five days. In early 2020, I completed a round trip Miami-to-San Francisco walk—about 6,200 miles. On the work front, I published my 26th article, this one on arbitration. That’s in addition to my five previously published chapters and case notes. All have been on arbitration, mediation, litigation, or ethics. I am still loving my work as a full-time arbitrator and mediator of a wide array of commercial disputes (e.g., business, healthcare, employment, construction, etc.). I have four grandchildren, all living nearby in Chicago, which lets me access my inner child. Oh, about that Miami–San Fran round-tripper: it was over nine years, walking three miles to and from work each day. The rest is true as is.”
1971
Dr. Sylvia Rabson Karasu CW’71, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the Indiana University 2021 Bicentennial Medal, given for her work in assisting the dean of Indiana University’s School of Public Health.
Alima Dolores J. Reardon GEd’71 shares that she has two new grandnephews and one new grandniece. She writes, “My older brother John Berchmans Reardon Jr. has four daughters from his marriage to Rita Connors Reardon. The eldest daughter assisted at the marriages of her three younger sisters in 2018. In 2020, Johnny became a grandfather three times when his two grandsons and one granddaughter were born. Nancy Reardon GEd’71, my sister-in-law and classmate in the late Professor Richard A. Gibboney’s urban education course, are great aunts to the babies.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1972
Peter J. Boyer C’72, a partner at the law firm Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP, has been reappointed to serve a new three-year term as a member of the Disciplinary Review Board of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The Disciplinary Review Board serves as the intermediate appellate level of the attorney disciplinary system in New Jersey, subject to final review by the Supreme Court. Peter previously served as a member, vice chair, and chair of the District IV Ethics Committee.
Evan Kwerel C’72, senior economic advisor at the Federal Communications Commission, is one of 29 finalists for the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal in the 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (the Sammies), presented by the Partnership for Public Service. Additionally, he is up for the People’s Choice Award where the public can vote on their favorite Sammies finalists. He will be honored at the 2021 Sammies Award show this fall. According to the press release, “The Sammies recognize the unsung heroes in our federal government who have made phenomenal contributions to the health, safety and prosperity of our country. … Evan pioneered the use of competitive spectrum auctions to allocate the public airwaves for sound, data and video transmissions, helping fuel the digital revolution while adding more than $200 billion to the government’s coffers.”
Dr. Mark R. Munetz C’72 M’76 was named the first recipient of the Judge Stephen S. Goss Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award from the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI) on May 12. The JPLI is a collaboration between the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and the Council of State Governments Justice Center. Mark was recognized as the codeveloper of the Sequential Intercept Model, which he describes as “a conceptual framework to help communities address the overrepresentation of people with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system. He is professor and chair emeritus in the department of psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with Dr. Lois S. Freedman CW’72 M’76.
1973
Bill Keller C’73 of Port Washington, New York, writes, “I retired at the end of 2020, after eight years as vice president for finance and administration of CUNY’s Queens College. Earlier in my career, I held a similar post at CUNY’s Kingsborough Community College. I also served the New York City government as chief operations officer of the Health and Hospital Corporation’s Metropolitan Hospital Center, and as deputy commissioner for New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, among other positions. My career also included work for Gartner Incorporated, Lehman Brothers’ municipal finance department, and Deloitte. In retirement, I’m serving on a part-time basis as special advisor to the president of Queens College, working on several projects, including the development of a partnership with Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. The goal is to offer academically-based community service courses as part of the Queens College curriculum. I was also recently reelected to the board of trustees of the Port Washington Public Library. Additionally, I’m beginning work with Larry Finkelstein W’73 L’76, Wendella Fox CW’73 L’76, Mark Maas C’73, Steve Batory C’73, Robert Drumheller C’73, Anita Sama CW’73, Christine Bebel Garst CW’73, and Mark Dibner C’73 to begin planning our 50th Reunion in May 2023. Volunteers are needed for the organizing committee. We need help from anyone who has 50th Reunion ideas and organizational energy. Please contact us at reunion@ben.dev.upenn.edu.”
Dr. Marlene Rabinowitz Wolf C’73 published a poetry and travel guidebook, titled Serenity View: Poems & Images from the Blue Ridge Mountains. From the book’s description: “The poetry, prose, and images in Serenity View depict the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Smoky Mountain range located in northern Georgia. The wonders of nature, the mountains, the small towns, and the lush countryside are artistically described in this collection of poems. With a click of the camera, the scenery was captured and put to verse. Travel the path to inner peace and serenity as you venture through the mountains of Georgia.” For more information or to purchase the book, visit www.drmarlenemd.com.
1974
Bill Carito C’74 see Barbara Ross C’75.
Linda Rabben CGS’74 published her ninth and 10th nonfiction books, Journeywoman: A Writer’s Story and My Brazil: Reports from the Interior, on Amazon.com in January and April 2021. She is an associate research professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland.
1975
Patricia Averill Gr’75 writes, “Voices, a journal published by the nonprofit New York Folklore, included my article—‘“Kumbaya” and Dramatizations of an Etiological Legend’—in its Summer 2020 issue. I used letters written by the original publisher to identify the individuals responsible for ‘Kumbaya’ and looked at the impact of a legend spread by Pete Seeger on people’s perceptions. My coauthor, John Blocher Jr., was responsible for the common melody. He was not a Penn graduate, but some alums may have known him. He pioneered the field of chemical vapor deposition and worked on the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge during World War II. He was 100 years old when he died in 2019.”
Barbara Ross C’75 writes, “My ninth Maine Clambake Mystery, Shucked Apart, was published in February. I also have a new series that begins with Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody. My husband Bill Carito C’74 and I live in Portland, Maine, and are in Key West, Florida, January through March. We adore our three granddaughters, ages eight, two, and one.”
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino Gr’75 reports that his blog, Sonsino’s Blog at rsonsino.blogspot.com, has more than 600,000 viewers around the world.
1976
Jeff Hooke W’76 WG’77, a finance professor at Johns Hopkins University, writes, “I’ve published my fifth book, after a long career in investment banking and private investment.” The book is titled The Myth of Private Equity: An Inside Look at Wall Street’s Transformative Investments.
Michael P. Malloy L’76 writes, “I’ve been publishing throughout the spring, pandemic notwithstanding. In March 2021, publisher Wolters Kluwer issued the second of five 2021 supplements for my three-volume treatise Banking Law and Regulation. In 398 pages, the supplement provides new and updated legislative, regulatory, and case law developments in financial services regulation. My article ‘The Emerging Regime of International Financial Services Regulation’ was published in the Spring 2021 issue of the North Carolina Journal of International Law. The article examines the impact of the Bank for International Settlements, in which US bank regulators participate directly, on banking regulation.”
Rev. Harry E. Winter Gr’76 writes, “I have just authored a short book on one of Penn’s most accomplished but least known graduates, Virginia’s Governor John Floyd (1783–1837), his pioneer feminist wife Letitia Preston Floyd (1779–1852), and their children, including Benjamin Rush Floyd (1811–1860). John Floyd studied under early Penn faculty member Benjamin Rush (1746–1813), graduating in 1804. Letitia wrote to Dr. Rush in 1812, crediting him with saving the lives of her husband and herself and asking for his advice for their son, Rush’s godson. Rush’s reply is not well known; it has been interesting to quote it. It is my contention that the Floyds and their children are as important as John and Abigail Adams and their children for the history of the United States. The book, Cloud of Witnesses: The Floyd–Lewis Chronicles, may be obtained from Amazon.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1977
Miles Cohn C’77 W’77 G’77 see Jeremy Cohn W’09.
Dr. David Herbert M’77 received a 2021 Most Admired CEO Award from the Sacramento Business Journal for his work leading Sutter Independent Physicians. He writes, “I also continue to practice infectious diseases, and I mountain bike almost every day.”
1979
Laura Goldman W’79 writes, “I was humbled to be asked to serve on the honorary board of directors of Blue Card, which serves the neediest Holocaust survivors. I’m doubly honored to serve with such luminaries as Marion Wiesel, the widow of Eli Wiesel, news anchors Bill Ritter and Rita Cosby, and journalist Kati Marton, the widow of the diplomat Richard Holbrooke. It was a busy election season for me. I helped produce the ABC News town halls for both Donald Trump W’68 and Joe Biden Hon’13. The Biden town hall was the most watched broadcast on ABC other than the Oscars.”
Bill Hemmig C’79 writes, “My first solo book, a novella entitled Brethren Hollow, was recently published by Read Furiously as part of their One ‘n Done series. A year earlier, Read Furiously published my short story ‘Cutthroat Alley’ in its anthology, The World Takes: Life in the Garden State. Another story of mine, ‘Getting Out,’ was published in the Spring 2021 issue of the Madison Review and also in the just-published Toho Publishing anthology, The Best Short Stories of Philadelphia. By day I’m the dean of learning resources and online learning at Bucks County Community College.”
Dr. Joseph A. Rodriguez C’79 M’83 writes, “As a board-certified family medicine physician, I was the country doctor to Mountainhome in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains from 1987 to 1991. Later, as a private practitioner in South Florida, I served as a physician and hospitalist to the Seminole Tribe of Florida for 23 years at the tribe’s Big Cypress, Everglades, Reservation. My hospital work included the Cleveland Clinic Hospital at Weston, Florida. I’m now assistant medical director of the Broward Addiction and Recovery Center and medical director of the Nancy J. Cotterman Center, a rape crisis center, where I supervise the center’s forensic nurse practitioners. The latter two facilities are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a descendant of Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Florida’s Spanish founder, and as a member of ‘Los Floridanos,’ St. Augustine’s society of Florida’s Spanish founders, I participated in organizing and promoting La Florida’s 450th anniversary celebrations in 2015. (St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African American origin in the US, was founded 42 years prior to Jamestown, Virginia.) A former Eagle Scout, I’ve served as assistant scoutmaster to two South Florida Boy Scout troops. My son is also an Eagle Scout. My current civic project is to assist my friends at the ancient Apalachee Tribe in obtaining federal recognition.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1982
Antonia Villarruel GNu’82, a professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at Penn Nursing, is the recipient of this year’s Ohtli Award from the government of Mexico. According to the press release, “This is the highest honor bestowed by the Mexican government to individuals and organizations that have stood out for their work in favor of the empowerment of the Mexican diaspora and helped to ‘open the path’ for the new Mexican American and Latino generations.”
1983
Arthur Bruso GFA’83, an artist, writer, and cofounder of Curious Matter, an art gallery in Jersey City, New Jersey, has released a new book, Each Age a Lens. From the book’s press materials: “In this poignant photographic document of the artist’s close-knit family we glimpse the beginning of a lifetime’s exploration as an artist.” The book can be purchased on Amazon.
Mark Streich W’83 writes, “I have relocated to Alexandria, Virginia, from Silicon Valley, but my ties to technology remain, as I’m the technical cofounder of SquareFairy. We are trying to help struggling couples move forward, through either helping find couples therapy, or providing a free way to prepare divorce papers and find the least costly way to divide assets (a “Fair and Square” split, thus the name). This came about as we repurposed corporate planning software to handle asset splits but realized there was a larger problem to solve, and we want to help couples move forward in their lives.”
1984
Melissa A. Fitzpatrick GNu’84, a member of UNC REX Healthcare’s board and president of Kirby Bates Associates and Tyler & Company, volunteered her time to administer COVID-19 vaccines at the UNC REX coworker vaccine clinic in March and April. Melissa is the first registered nurse to serve on the board of UNC REX, a private, not-for-profit healthcare system in North Carolina.
Harlan Sands W’84, who has been serving as president of Cleveland State University since May 2018, had his contract extended through June 20, 2026.
Paul Wellener C’84, vice chairman and leader of the US industrial products and construction practice for Deloitte, has been named to the National Association of Manufacturers’ board of directors.
1985
John C. Hawley Gr’85 has published a new book, Islam in Contemporary Literature: Jihad, Revolution, Subjectivity. He writes, “This study discusses an ongoing Reformation in Islam, focusing on the Arab Spring, the role of women and sexuality, the ‘clash of civilizations,’ assimilation and cosmopolitanism, jihad, pluralism across cultures, free speech, and apostasy.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1987
Kate (Karen Sue) Gladstone C’87 is the author of Read Cursive Fast, a book about teaching students to read cursive by means other than writing it. The book is published by National Autism Resources. Kate welcomes alumni contact at Kate@ReadCursiveFast.com.
1989
Lisa Niver C’89 has won second place in the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards’ Book Critic category. Her winning articles were “Treat Your Business Rival as Inspiration, Not Competition” (Wharton Magazine, December 3, 2019) and “‘Untamed’: Brave Means Living from the Inside Out” (Ms. magazine, May 3, 2020).
Matthew O’Connell C’89 writes, “After 15 years in private practice, I joined Cutler Design as a senior project architect and design manager in 2019. Cutler Design is a division of Cutler Associates, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, offering fully integrated design-build project delivery, in addition to general contracting and construction management services. My design for the Duxbury House at the Village Memory Care Residence was selected as a winning entry in the 2020 SHN Architecture and Design Awards. More than 90 new construction and renovation projects worldwide participated in the annual awards competition, sponsored by Senior Housing News. The Duxbury House project was featured in a live webinar on ‘Senior Housing Architecture Trends in 2021’ and a follow-up story can be found on Senior Housing News’s website, bit.ly/2OEsRND.”
Leigh Price WG’89, the former vice president of corporate development strategy at IBM, has been named head of strategy and development for Kyndryl, the independent managed infrastructure services business to spin out from IBM. As such, he oversees Kyndryl’s corporate and services strategy, strategic assessments, and partnerships.
1991
Lawrence M. Bogad C’91 has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2021–2022 to study theater arts and performance studies. Lawrence is chair of the Theatre and Dance Department at UC Davis and author of several books and plays, focusing on the use of humor and imagination in movements for social justice and climate justice. His third book, to be released in October, is Performing Truth: Works of Radical Memory for Times of Social Amnesia. He writes, “It’s a collection of my performance scripts with commentary from scholars around the world.”
Anthony Rella C’91 writes, “The three-issue comic miniseries, Seis Cuerdas: Defender of Mexico, which I created, wrote, and lettered is being published by Source Point Press May through July of this year. The trade paperback of the series will be released in September. In addition to my own work, I’m busy lettering comics for others. I spend the rest of my time living in Brooklyn, New York, minding my two- and seven-year-olds, cooking occasionally good dinners for my family, and drumming for my Beatles tribute band, PreFab 4, and other Beatles tributes.”
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
1992
Lt. Col. James Dombrowski EAS’92 writes, “I’m currently an orthopedic surgeon and medical director for surgery at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. I’ll retire from the US Air Force in July, having served in Korea, Italy, and Kosovo as a flight surgeon; then in Japan, Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan as an orthopedic surgeon. I look forward to a vibrant retired life in Washington, DC, and to volunteering locally and abroad.”
1994
David J. Calkins Gr’94, the Denis M. O’Day Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, has been named assistant vice president for research at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Daniel Farber Huang WG’94 has released a new book, Nowhere to Hide: Open Source Intelligence Gathering. How the FBI, Media, and Public Identified the January 6, 2021, US Capitol Rioters. He writes, “Cellphone tracking, facial recognition, reviewing hundreds of hours of video and 200,000+ images, search warrants, anonymous tips, and good old-fashioned detective work all contributed to the largest manhunt in US history. After reviewing the FBI’s formal filings on more than 250 people who were charged with a wide range of violations at the Capitol, I explore the tactics, techniques, and procedures used to identify and locate rioters. Vividly illustrated, Nowhere to Hide contains 36 detailed case studies andalso provides practical, actionable insight into the extensive open-source intelligence gathering techniques and tools that will be valuable to both seasoned and novice investigators and researchers.”
1995
Debra Bernstein C’95, an antitrust lawyer, has joined the global law firm Quinn Emanuel as a partner. She is based in Atlanta, where she leads the firm’s newest office. A recent Bloomberg Law article stated that Debra “has secured more than $1 billion in settlements on behalf of clients. … She has represented computer company Dell in multiple lawsuits, including as a plaintiff in cases pursuing price-fixing claims against suppliers of components including video screens and lithium batteries.”
1996
Kimberly H. Updegrove GNu’96, executive director of Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin (Texas), has been named a 2021 fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). The fellowship is presented to “those midwives whose demonstrated leadership within ACNM, clinical excellence, outstanding scholarship, and professional achievement have merited special recognition both within and outside of the midwifery profession.” Kimberly is also a former faculty member of Penn Nursing.
1998
Sarah Federman C’98, an assistant professor of negotiation and conflict management at the University of Baltimore, has written a new book, titled Last Train to Auschwitz: The French National Railways and the Journey to Accountability. She writes, “I was inspired by a request made to me by a Penn history professor when I moved to France: ‘Find out if those train drivers kept their jobs after the war.’ This book is the answer to his question and much more.”
1999
David Koller C’99 is founder and owner of Koller Law LLC. On April 27, he presented a free webinar, “Partnering with the Media,” sponsored by Jenkins Law Library. In it, he discussed a local solo attorney’s interactions with the media, including print, broadcast, and social media, to increase visibility, establish expertise, and even frame arguments.
2000
Hon. Marcia Henry C’00 has been appointed as a magistrate judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She is the first African American woman appointed as a magistrate judge in the Eastern District.
Dara Lovitz C’00 writes, “I’ve coauthored a new book, Gag Reflections: Conquering a Fear of Vomit Through Exposure Therapy, which explores my journey to recovery from emetophobia, a disproportionate fear of vomit. Using the seemingly radical approach of exposure therapy, I was able to overcome my lifelong fear in fewer than three months. I wrote this book with my exposure therapist, Dr. David Yusko, who explains the what, the why, and the how of exposure therapy. The book provides fellow emetophobes with validation, hope, and inspiration; it also serves as a useful guide for therapists whose patients suffer from specific phobias of all types.”
2001
David R. Golder L’01 has been elected to the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s James W. Cooper Fellows Program. The program honors leading members of the legal profession and the Judiciary in Connecticut. David is a principal at the national workplace law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. in Hartford, Connecticut. He is coleader of the firm’s Class Actions and Complex Litigation group.
Celebrate Your Reunion, May 13–16, 2022!
2002
Shaleigh Cochran Kwok C’02 CGS’07’s poems “February I” and “February II” have been published in the Spring 2021 edition of the literary journal Ploughshares. These are her first poems to appear in print.
2003
Jamila Brinson C’03, an attorney at Jackson Walker, has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers’ 2021 Texas Rising Stars list.
Alexander Morgovsky EAS’03 announces his engagement to Marjorie Thomas. Marjorie is a graduate of Temple University and works as a television producer in Philadelphia. After graduating from Penn, Alexander obtained his MBA from LaSalle University, and he now works as a DevOps specialist in Philadelphia. The two are planning to marry in Philadelphia next summer.
2005
Daniel L. Blanchard C’05 has joined the national labor and employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. as an associate in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Daniel focuses his practice on representing employers in workplace law matters, including pre-litigation claims and litigation, as well as preventive advice, counseling, and investigations.
2006
Michael Israel C’06 and Anu Pokharel wrote in early April that they had developed a free app to notify people when there were COVID-19 vaccination appointments available nearby. VaxBot uses an anonymous chatbot to send vaccine appointment notifications to users’ devices. Michael said their app had “delivered 10 million appointment notifications.” More information can be found at vaccine.monal.im/.
Raj Parekh L’06 was appointed acting US attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia in January, becoming the first person of color in the district’s 232-year history to serve as its top-ranking federal law enforcement official. Raj writes, “I’ve tried numerous jury trials to verdict. As acting US attorney, I supervise the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. I lead a staff of over 300 federal prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel in a district that covers more than 19,000 square miles and serves over six million residents.”
2008
Arushi Sharma Frank C’08 writes, “I have joined Tesla to lead its US energy markets expansion policy work, advancing the company’s mission to be a premier provider of residential and grid-scale batteries, and advance market design supporting clean power generation and storage. I’ve spent the past 12 years in legal regulatory and government relations roles in Washington, DC, working on market design and compliance issues for nuclear, natural gas, solar, wind, and storage power providers and for regulated investor-owned utilities. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my scattered interests coming into Penn. Thanks to Penn’s interdisciplinary approach to obtaining a college degree, I hopped around the School of Arts and Sciences’ humanities and sciences departments, Wharton, the Law School, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. So here I am today, an attorney/economist/power systems design nerd and environmentalist who has awkwardly but firmly fallen into the one field where all such passions may coexist! I miss my incredible professors and wonky classmates. I’m happy to reconnect, and you can find me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/arushisharmafrank.”
Kacey Bayles Ofsevit C’08 and Alec Ofsevit C’08 write, “We welcomed Gabriel Shane into our family in January. He joins Zachary (three), who loves being a big brother. We live in New York, where Kacey works for Google and Alec for Gillson Capital.”
Damon C. Reaves GFA’08 has been appointed head of education at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Previously, he was interim senior curator of education and public programs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Matthew Schreibeis Gr’08, an assistant professor of music at Hong Kong Baptist University, writes, “I’ve released a new portrait CD from Albany Records, which features my large-scale song cycle, Sandburg Songs, along with other chamber works spanning a decade of creative work. The disc features renowned soprano Tony Arnold, along with Zohn Collective, and conductor Tim Weiss.” More information can be found at mschreibeis.com.
2009
Jeremy Cohn W’09, son of Miles Cohn C’77 W’77 G’77, writes, “I’m very excited to share that Moody Tongue Brewery, which I opened several years ago in Chicago with my partner and cousin Jared Rouben, has been awarded ‘two stars’ by the Michelin Guide. This makes Moody Tongue the first starred distributing brewery in the world and the first two-star brewery-restaurant in the history of the Michelin Guide. Please join us when you are next visiting Chicago!”
Tian Song GEd’09 was the recipient of the 2020 Penn Graduate School of Education Recent Alumni/Early Career Award of Merit, which recognizes “a graduate who has shown outstanding service to the school prior to their 10th Reunion year and is setting an inspirational example for future alumni of Penn GSE.” Tian attended a virtual ceremony celebrating all of the honorees during Penn GSE’s Homecoming@Home, which included words from GSE Dean Pam Grossman. She writes, “It was with service in mind that I pivoted from a robust career in global operations leadership and international educational exchange to answer the call to become a public servant. In January of this year, I joined the 205th Foreign Service Generalist class to represent and protect America’s interests at home and abroad as a career diplomat.”
2010
Joshua Bennett C’10 has received a 2021 Whiting Award from the Whiting Foundation for his nonfiction and poetry writing. This award is one of the largest monetary gifts ($50,000) given to emerging writers in the United States. Joshua is the author of three books of poetry and literary criticism: The Sobbing School, Owed, and Being Property Once Myself. He is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Dartmouth College. During his senior year at Penn, he won a Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in the United Kingdom and performed his spoken-word poetry at the White House for then president Barack Obama [“Gazetteer,” Mar|Apr 2010].
Zachary Klitzman C’10 writes, “On May 1, Nicole Romano and I were married in a small, COVID-safe ceremony at the Penn Museum. We first met in 2014 in Washington, DC, and were originally scheduled to get married in 2020 but delayed a year due to the pandemic. The ceremony, which took place in the museum’s Stoner Courtyard, was co-officiated by Rabbi Rayzel Raphael and Father Edward Ogden, OFS. Other Penn alumni in attendance were my father Stephen Klitzman C’66 and Rebecca Kaplan Levy C’10. Rebecca and I were freshman-year hallmates and worked at the Daily Pennsylvanian together; my father was also an editor of the DP during his time at Penn. In addition, a dozen other Penn alumni watched the ceremony via a livestream, set up so that our loved ones could still watch despite the in-person restrictions. It was a beautiful day, and Nicole and I are looking forward to celebrating in person with everyone next year.”
Rebecca Sha C’10, an associate at the law firm Phelps Dunbar LLP, who practices in the field of labor and employment, has been chosen to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Pathfinders program. According to the press release, “[The program] gives participants practical tools to develop and leverage internal professional networks, foundational leadership skills, and an understanding of career development strategies.”
Yowei Shaw C’10 is a new cohost of NPR’s Invisibilia, “a podcast about challenging the forces and powers of the status quo.” Her work has been featured on This American Life, Pop Up Magazine, and Studio 360; and she has been honored with a Third Coast Documentary Award and an Asian American Journalists Association Award, among others.
2013
David Jackson Ambrose LPS’13 has released his second book, a novel titled A Blind Eye. According to the press materials, the book “tackles LGBT relationships, the differently abled perspective, mental health, and ‘transracialism.’” It tells the story of “Babe and Chance, who struggle to get past preconceived notions of race and how those misconceptions create roadblocks to a true friendship.”
2015
Ryan Dungee C’15 G’16, a PhD candidate at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, has received the Columbia Communications ARCS Award from the Honolulu Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation. From ARCS’s press release: “[Ryan’s] research lays important groundwork for other astronomers by improving image quality from telescopes using adaptive optics and benchmarking models for determining a star’s age.”
Melanie White C’15 has been selected as one of eight WW Dissertation Fellows in Women’s Studies by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. Melanie is a doctoral candidate in Africana studies whose dissertation traces the role of transnational colonial imaginaries in the social construction of the Mosquito Coast (contemporary Caribbean Nicaragua and southeastern Honduras) from the colonial period to the present.
2018
Francisco Garcia LPS’18 has opened a new distillery in Philadelphia, which was featured on Philadelphia magazine’s website. Billed as the “smallest commercial distillery in America,” Strivers’ Row Distillery is further described as “the city’s first Latino-owned distillery, making Dominican ‘Papa Juan,’ corn whiskey, and one day, bourbon, out of two eight-gallon tanks in a 200-square-foot space in Kensington.” It can be read at bit.ly/3aV6OKA.
2020
Gulnur Kukenova GEd’20 writes, “My son Baizhan is 10 years old. He is in the fifth grade at Penn Alexander School and loves writing stories. He learned English in such a short time at a high level. As the result, he started writing a book as a hobby. Some schools in Kazakhstan are interested in purchasing it, and I am working on getting it printed there. Also, Baizhan loves drawing, and in 2019 his artwork was chosen as the best among third graders and sold at a school auction for $30. When he was in fourth grade, he won second place in his school’s science fair when he turned salt water into fresh water. Baizhan’s book is available in the US if anyone is willing to purchase it to support a young writer. Please contact me at gulnurkb88@gmail.com.”
Justine Wallace GEd’20 writes, “I’m currently running for the Pennsbury School Board, which is the board of the district I attended for my K–12 education. My platform is centered around improving educational access and opportunity, and I often cite my Penn education as the foundation for my educational ideology. I’m 23 and quite possibly the youngest person ever to run for this school board (I’m definitely the youngest in recent history). I’ve been able to secure endorsements from my local Democratic Party and state reps, as well as the recommendation from the teachers’ and support professionals’ unions.”
