Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Medallion Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1955 John Harper sends an update. He moved to California after completing his Navy tour of duty and was then self-employed as a manufacturer’s representative selling raw materials, both domestic and imported, to the general chemical industry. “I set up a chem lab in my warehouse and put my products to use and authored or coauthored five US patents—basically high-temperature epoxy and polyimide systems. I kept working until I ran out of suppliers, but my experimenting still continues. I drive a Hyundai Nexo using hydrogen as my fuel. This car and this fuel are available only in California and in limited or ‘experimental’ quantity. Basically, my car builds its fuel on the go and spews out its combustion product, water. It may be, should be, the fuel of the future, the fuel being made in SMRs (small modular reactors), the first of which is being designed and built presently. With little else to do,” adds John, “I took up abstract painting.”

1956 Mary Ann Paliani writes, “In October 2022 at the ripe old age of 87, I did a technical climb of the Third Flatiron—a rock slab that rises several hundred feet over the city of Boulder, Colorado.” Mary Ann sent a class note last year when she climbed the Second Flatiron in July as a warm-up to the most recent climb.

1958 Herb Gliick writes that around the time of his 50th reunion, he decided to become a musician by taking up the trombone. “Six years on, having tired of driving around Boston’s western suburbs playing in various concert bands, I quit them all and founded the Wellesley Town Band. During the intense Covid years when the band couldn’t meet, I failed to adequately practice, and thereby lost my chops. Undaunted, I recently picked up a pair of sticks and became senior percussionist of the band. I plan to attend our Medallion Reunion and promise to leave my drumsticks at home.” . . . Ed Hajim, a University life trustee and chairman of the Boston-based money management company High Vista, has published The Island of the Four Ps: A Modern Fable about Preparing for Your Future (Skyhorse). Using his own life as a framework, Ed wrote about a young man on a quest to find himself and his personal path to success and happiness. Using an illustrated fable format to lend a measure of accessibility, the book aims to help readers gain a deeper understanding of how to navigate change while remaining true to their values and ideals. . . . Nancy Kelts Rice exhibited a photographic print in the Red show in February and March at Image City Photography Gallery in Rochester.

1962 Robert Mead writes, “I still work full time as a research engineer in the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The focus of my research is counter-drone technology. I was recognized by the Pathfinder Chapter of the Association of Uncrewed Vehicles International as a recipient of their Order of Prometheus Award. In part, the certificate reads, ‘The Order of Prometheus Medallion signifies that the recipient exemplifies the highest ideals, aspirations, and accomplishments resident to the unmanned systems community.’ As you can imagine, I was deeply moved and humbled.”

1965 Gwen Meltzer Greene reports that she has retired as a wealth advisor at JP Morgan after a 42-year career on Wall Street in commission sales. She says that one of the greatest benefits she reaped was being able to recruit dozens of Rochester students to Wall Street, including Naveen Nataraj ’97, who has become a University trustee. Gwen continues her work with nonprofits, remaining herself a University trustee, where she chairs Annual Giving. The University’s Gwen M. Greene Career Center is named in recognition of her. Gwen adds that she now lives exclusively in the Hudson Valley with Dennis Higgins and their standard poodle, Charlie.

1967 Sam Meisels, the founding executive director of the University of Nebraska’s Buffett Early Childhood Institute, retired in February. Sam joined Nebraska in 2013 to help launch the institute, which is dedicated to the learning and development of young children. Before that, he was president of Erikson Institute, a graduate school in child development in Chicago, and a professor and researcher at the University of Michigan and at Tufts University. Sam received a leadership award from the Simms/Mann Institute in 2019, and in 2022 he received the Plambeck Early Childhood Pioneer Award from the University of Nebraska at Kearney honoring his distinguished career and dedication to children and families. . . . Ira Schildkraut writes that he has fully retired: “My 54-year career as an educator, primarily social studies, with 35 years at Freeport High School on Long Island and 19 years at Long Island yeshivas, ended on May 31, 2022, when I taught my last class.”

1968 Bill Rapaport holds the title of CSE Eminent Professor Emeritus in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo, where he is also an affiliated faculty member emeritus in the Departments of Philosophy and of Linguistics. He has published a new university-level textbook, Philosophy of Computer Science: An Introduction to the Issues and the Literature (Wiley), designed to guide readers through topics at the intersection of philosophy and computer science. A companion website contains annotated suggestions for further reading and an instructor’s manual. . . . Chuck Smith writes that his second detective book, Dunn (self-published), was released in December. He adds, “My one-act play Speed Dating in the Time of Zombies won Dominion Stages’ One-Act Competition. Tempting the Hand of Fate can be seen on the internet, and Snack Machine Blues can be heard on Missing Link, Between Acts.”

1969 John Levey (see ’88).

1971 Harvey Bunis writes that in February he celebrated 46 years of practicing law as a sole practitioner in the historic Wilder Building in Rochester. He says he’s “looking forward to at least another four years.” . . . Wayne Miller describes the photo he shares: “A hardy band of Class of ’71 coconspirators converged on Vero Beach to see a performance by Sue Cella ’72, which led to celebratory libations and victuals on the beach.” Pictured from left to right are John Linton, Sue, Mark Selikson, Nat Fossner ’71E, Wayne and his wife, Sally White, and Patty Linton.”

1972 Sue Cella (see ’71). . . . Thomas Szolyga writes, “I am a volunteer at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, working on the 1401 restoration project and the collections program. The purpose of the 1401 project is to restore and maintain two operational, 1960s-era 1401 systems. These systems are important, since in 1965 half of the computers in the world were from the 1401 family. I worked on the 1401 that was in a lab on the first floor of Hopeman Hall in 1972, so this project seems like ‘old times.’ In the collections program, I examine, research, and write or rewrite the didactic for artifacts in the museum’s collection. The process is very interesting. For example, wearing gloves, I was able to hold in my hands the original Bell Telephone Picturephone used in the 1964 World’s Fair.”

1973

50th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1975 Jan Miller writes that she and Karen Sangmeister ’76 are celebrating their 50th “friend-a-versary.” They met as altos in the Women’s Glee Club and “have enjoyed a wonderful friendship for 50 years.” Jan’s career as a development professional has included an array of political campaigns, the American Heart Association, the National Kidney Foundation, and the Nature Conservancy. She is currently the development director for the Western Landowners Alliance, a nonprofit that aims to sustain working lands throughout the West. Jan reports that Karen, who received her EdD from St. John Fisher University, is a cofounder of 3Rs Enrollment Consultants, working with charter schools to increase effectiveness of their recruitment plans. After working at Eastman Kodak as an engineer, Karen changed careers and served more than 25 years in public education teaching and administration, mostly with the Rochester City School District. She has taught at Nazareth College as an adjunct instructor for more than 20 years.

1976 Karen Sangmeister (see ’75).

1977 Dan Kimmel has released his 10th book, Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts (Fantastic Books), in which he combines his two writing careers—as a film critic and as a humorist—to do, as he says, “a deep dive into the movie Plan 9 from Outer Space, deemed by many to be one of the worst films ever made.” As an undergraduate, Dan wrote the humor column for Logos.

1978

45th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

Composer and violist Julia Barnes has released Het Stromende Getij & De Winterdichter (Facetten van de kunst [Facets of the Arts]). “This CD is part of a collective project celebrating 20 years of interdisciplinary inspiration,” she writes. “Most of the works were created during the lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. We presented works by a young poet, composer, and a graphic artist along with these performances and recordings.” Julia cofounded Facetten van de kunst as a cultural organization 20 years ago. “I concentrated in my career on orchestral and chamber music performance. I’ve been living and working in the Amsterdam area for 40 years and so am connected to Dutch culture, artists, and literature.”

1979 Tom Sulcer has written A Bible for Atheists (self-published). He says it’s selling on Amazon at the rate of about one a day, which is “kinda surprising, since at the U of R, I was a shamelessly mediocre student.” He adds, “The book is an ethics guide for atheists about how to be a good human.”

1983

40th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

Susan Carlson Edwards has retired from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation after 36 years as an environmental engineer. She writes, “I was the first woman to lead the Division of Environmental Remediation as acting division director/assistant director. My career has been very rewarding, with many challenges overcome and new ones emerging. I was recently awarded the Neil Murphy award for outstanding work in natural resources. I encourage new and upcoming graduates to look into the NYSDEC for career opportunities. I am very glad I did.” . . . Journalist and author Tom Wilber has written Vanishing Point: The Search for a B-24 Bomber Crew Lost on the World War II Home Front (Three Hills), the story of an eclectic group of enthusiasts who have spent years searching for the bomber Getaway Gertie, which disappeared with its crew in a snowstorm while on a training mission over upstate New York in February 1944, at the height of World War II. Tom’s writing career spans 25 years at USA Today Network’s Central New York Newspaper Group, where he won Best of Gannett honors multiple times. He also taught print journalism at Binghamton University for more than 20 years.

1987 Lee Feinberg, who serves as the optical telescope element manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, was a recipient of the Goddard Astronautics Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics this winter. Feinberg was also part of the Webb industry team that was recognized by the National Aeronautic Association, which presented NASA and the JWST industry team led by Northrop Grumman, with its Robert J. Collier Trophy. As part of the announcement, Lee noted that the award recognized 20,000 people who for more than 20 years “gave their hearts and souls into every detail to make sure Webb would be an incredible success.” NASA’s Webb team also earned recognition from Popular Science, Fast Company, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Project Management Institute. The Webb also received the 2023 John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration.

1988

35th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

David Robson (see ’21). . . . Amy Steinman-Cohen writes, “I started work in 2022 as the podcast producer for a nonprofit film organization based out of Redwood City, California, called BraveMaker. Part of my job is to book filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, casting directors, and others in the entertainment industry to be a guest on our weekly podcast.” In the fall issue of Rochester Review, Amy read about John Levey ’69, a longtime casting director in Hollywood. “I messaged John, and he agreed to be a guest on our show. It was a wonderful show.” Amy says the March 23 podcast can be found online. “I encourage all alums to listen to [it] and hear John speak about his career postgraduation from UR.”

1989 Jennifer Laguzza Dickenson, a lawyer in Alpharetta, Georgia, has written The Case for Hope (self-published), “an encouraging and informative look at how we can transform our own health even in seemingly desperate situations.” Jennifer was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer, at age 44, and she credits the use of “mind, body, and spirit” techniques for her recovery. She is now 11 years beyond the diagnosis and has dedicated herself to teaching others how to heal. A section of her book that explores the topic of judgment—and that has proven popular with readers—was inspired by a psychology class taught by Edward Deci, professor of psychology emeritus.A fter graduating from Rochester and Emory Law School, Jennifer worked for a large firm until she opened “my own firm of 100 lawyers and staff—the largest female-owned real estate law firm in the Southeast.”

1992 Randy Flores has written How I Lost My Kidneys in China: A Twenty-five Year Overindulgent Odyssey (Canoe Tree Press). The book “details the adventure that led to a life working on the supply chain in China for two decades and the perils of that living,” writes Randy. “It was a journey like no other.”

1993

30th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1994 Andrew Patrickwas appointed superintendent of the Scarsdale, New York, schools in February. He had been interim superintendent since May 2022 and had served previously as assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development. Before joining the Scarsdale school district, he served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Bedford, New York. . . . Dennis Tucker, publisher at Whitman Publishing in Atlanta, writes that he has been voted chairman of the board of directors of Brayhope Farm Inc., a New York charitable nonprofit that provides community health and educational programs through therapy-animal interaction.

1996 Joe Lamantia has a new position: “As of summer 2022, I’m enjoying a new role leading design for a business unit of Amazon Web Services,” he writes. Before joining Amazon, he was head of user experience and strategy for Sallie Mae’s digital channels. . . . Christa Tinari has been named director of the Garrison Institute’s Contemplative-Based Resilience Project. She welcomes anyone involved in human or social services or direct service work to contact her about the project, which provides “education and support to all those impacted by job-related secondary trauma and stress.” Before joining Garrison, Christa was a senior trainer and instructional content developer at the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University.

1997 Ben and Joanna Josephson send a photograph from the bat mitzvah of their younger daughter, Emily. Joanna writes that they were “thrilled to celebrate . . . with fellow UR alums.” Pictured from left to right, back row, are Ben, Josh Bregman ’95, Jeremy Pozen ’95, Jon Tushman, Joanna, Dan Navisky, Taal McLean Rachamimov, Rebecca Bier, Andrea Farkas, and Wendy Rosenfeld; and front row, Mike Friedman ’96, ’98 (MS), Scott Shapiro, and Frank Nussbaum ’94. . . . Naveen Nataraj (see ’65).

1998

25th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

Writer, podcaster, and editor Odell Hall writes that his company, Kagyai-Hall Publishing, has released its first novel, The Plague of Placidius, featuring a new African superhero named Prince Ato, the Porcupine Man. Odell’s nonfiction has appeared at AllHipHop.com, Planetill.com, and Love Peace & Slander, among other outlets.

2002 Nathan Ringelstetter ’05S (MBA) writes that he has joined JERA Americas, the US subsidiary of the Japanese utility JERA Inc., as head of project finance. “In that role I’m responsible for all project-level financings of utility-scale solar, wind, battery storage, and other low-carbon/renewable power projects. I’ll continue to be based in Washington, DC.”

2005

20th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

Brian Shenker has been named a principal of the employment law firm Jackson Lewis. He’s an attorney in the firm’s Long Island office and represents public and private employers in labor and employment law matters.

2006 Hiatt Zhao ’15S (MS) wrote in March that he was beginning an “around-the-world bicycle tour” from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. He says the bicycle trip will last at least two years, and he’ll blog at his website and post photos on Instagram.

2008

15th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

Allison Goldstein, a writer and editor as well as a qualifier for the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials in the women’s marathon, has published The Runner’s Guide to Injury Prevention and Treatment (Human Kinetics) with Emmi Aguillard and Jonathan Cane.

2009 Ross Brenneman (see ’12).

2012 Rebecca Rosenberg and Ross Brenneman ’09 send a photograph from their April 2022 wedding. “Our Rochester portrait was, as you can imagine from looking at it, our most packed! We had 22 Rochester graduates spanning five decades join us in Los Angeles.” Pictured from left to right are, back row, Jon Noble ’09, Christopher Domone ’09, Max Mikel-Stites ’08, Ross, Kendra Riddleberger, Chase Weidmann ’09, Matthew Spielmann ’09, ’20S (MBA), Aaron Eisenberg, Michael Rosenberg ’79; middle row, Margaret Healy ’11, Katie Bartolotta ’11, Brittany Bowman ’09, Hannah Weiss ’09, Rebecca, Alyssa Shoup ’09, ’11W (MS), ’20W (EdD), Erin Philbrick Wasserman ’09, ’15M (PhD), Lori Aks Rosenberg ’81; and front row, Steve Aks ’83, Daniel Snow ’09, Patrick Lutz ’10, Henry Garcia ’09, and Dan Wasserman ’10.

2013

10th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2015 Bryan Hoffman has joined the worker’s compensation group at Goldberg Segalla’s Buffalo office as an associate attorney. He was previously with Connors and Ferris, also in Buffalo.

2016 Katherine Bopp (see ’08 Simon).

2018

5th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2021 Elena Robson and Curtis Jenkins were married in January in Rhode Island. Elena and her father, David Robson ’88, send a picture of themselves with the many alumni who attended as guests or were members of the wedding party (see page 49): Stephen Robson ’91, ’97W (MS), Terri Sizemore Robson ’97, Michael Wizorek ’23, Lauren Case ’23, ’23E, Jeffrey Pinsker-Smith ’21, Alexander Nick ’22E, Isabelle Longfellow ’21, Geneva Hinkson ’24, Brett Miller ’24E, David Personius ’21, Ichchha Pradhan ’21, ’22, Josiah Johnson ’21, Meghan Clark ’24, David Robson, Adwoa Ampiah-Bonney ’23, Christina Krewson ’21, Christopher Sánchez ’23, ’23E, Anisa Raoof ’88, Peter Cohen ’88, Jonah Robson ’25 (brother of the bride), Doug Itkin ’88, Laura Mueller ’22, Jess Robbins ’20, Anoutsa Latsapanya ’22, and Aidan Kendra ’20.

2022 Claude Mulindi (see ’08 Simon).

Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Meliora weekend

October 5 to 8

1948 Glen McDonald (MS) is being remembered as a patent-holding inventor and a researcher on projects involving fuels for jet engines, nuclear propulsion for interplanetary space missions, and solar energy collection. His son, Edward McDonald ’74M (MD), writes that Glen died in January. After receiving his master’s degree in chemistry from Rochester, Glen moved to Ohio, where he spent his career as an engineer and scientist at the NASA Lewis Research Center (now the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field).

1970 Robert Skoglund (MA) has written a follow-up to 2017’s Chicken Poop for the Soil: Wit and Wisdom from the Humble Farmer (self-published). The new book, Chicken Poop for the Reader’s Soil (self-published), is a collection of biweekly newspaper columns from 2014 through 2022 written by Robert, “The humble Farmer,” as well as commentary from his long-running public radio show of the same name.

1981 Harry Thompson (MA), the executive director of the Center for Western Studies at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has published a history of the center, where he has worked for the past 39 years: “Bright, Clear Sky Over a Plain So Wide”: The Center for Western Studies, 1964–2020 (Center for Western Studies). “The main title uses quotation marks because the phrase is taken from O. E. Rolvaag’s first novel of the Great Plains, Giants in the Earth (Harper & Brothers; First Edition 1927), which is set about 10 miles north of our research center,” writes Harry.

1994 Wendy Schiller (PhD), the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political Science, the director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, and a professor of political science at Brown University in Rhode Island, has coauthored Inequality Across State Lines: How Policymakers Have Failed Domestic Violence Victims in the United States (Cambridge University Press). The book explores the differences in how states respond to domestic violence and offers pathways to reform. Wendy is also the author of several previous books, including Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment (Princeton University Press), Gateways to Democracy: An Introduction to American Government (Cengage), and The Contemporary Congress (Thomson-Wadsworth). She has published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Journal of Politics, and Studies in American Political Development.

2002 Warren Zanes (PhD), an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, has written Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (Crown). Warren is an active musician, a former vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a scholar who has written a biography of Tom Petty, among other works.

2012 Rodmon King (PhD) has been appointed assistant dean for diversity, inclusion, and belonging for the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Previously, he was dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College, and before that Rodmon was the chief diversity and inclusion officer at SUNY Oswego.

2013 Jeremy Kedziora (PhD) has been named the PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He will hold a full-time faculty position in the electrical engineering and computer science department and will pursue research advancing the interaction of artificial intelligence with humans and its potential impacts on society. He had been a director of data science and analytics at Northwestern Mutual, where he managed the development of machine learning and modeling efforts focused on cybersecurity. . . . Matthew Moynihan (PhD), a consultant on fusion who previously studied the safety of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers as a senior nuclear engineer for the US Navy, has coauthored Fusion’s Promise: How Technological Breakthroughs in Nuclear Fusion Can Conquer Climate Change on Earth (And Carry Humans to Mars, Too) (Nature-Springer Press). Matt has been the host of a popular fusion podcast and written a fusion blog; his work has appeared on CNBC and in Forbes, Bloomberg News, the Boston Globe, and IEEE Spectrum.

2022 Rassul Bairamkulov (PhD), a postdoctoral scholar at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, has coauthored, with Eby Friedman, a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rochester, Graphs in VLSI (Springer International Publishing).

Eastman School of Music

Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8

1971 Nat Fossner (see ’71 College).

1973 Composer and conductor Anthony Iannaccone (PhD) has released a two-CD album, Looking Back, Moving On (Navona Records). His compositions are performed on the album by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Alexander Jiménez, the Warsaw Philharmonic conducted by George Manahan, and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.

1975 Kingsley Day (MA), a Chicago-area writer, editor, composer, and performer, has published Music’s Guiding Hand: A Novel Inspired by the Life of Guido d’Arezzo (The Mentoris Project). He describes the work as “a biographical novel about the medieval monk who invented music notation and what’s now popularly known as do-re-mi. Despite institutional opposition to his revolutionary system for notating musical pitch on lines and spaces, his method became the standard that’s still used today.” . . . Dave Harman (DMA) writes that he has retired from the position of music director and conductor of the Penfield (New York) Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 22 years. He served as music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for 20 seasons and was the director of orchestral activities and a professor of music in the Satz Department of Music in the College. Before returning to Rochester in 1993, he taught at the University of Louisville, the University of Connecticut, and Colorado State University. Dave says he will continue to guest conduct orchestras as opportunities arise.

1993 Kelly Hall-Tompkins has released Our Forgotten Voices (Avie). “The organization [Music Kitchen: Food for the Soul] that I started in my church basement in 2005 is now making the forgotten voices we heard from those early days and beyond heard worldwide in over 21 countries,” she writes. “I am so grateful for all the donors, artists, and facilitators who have made this possible. For the Forgotten Voices project, I am especially grateful for the brilliant composers and artists who helped me take an idea and bring it to life in the best possible way.”

1995 Peter Fletcher (MM) writes, “My CD Peter Fletcher on Tour (Centaur) has been released on all the streaming sites. My tour proceeds apace—the dates are listed on the schedule of my website.”

2005 Sarah Chan (DMA), an associate professor of music at California State University, Stanislaus, has received three important awards: the 2021 US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher Award from the US Presidential Commission of the US Department of Education, the 2021 California State University–Stanislaus Outstanding Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Faculty Award, and the 2022 California State University–Stanislaus Outstanding Professor Award. Sarah also writes that her 2020 performance and teaching tour in Ukraine featured a solo piano recital at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine along with presentations, master classes, and teacher seminar-workshops at several Ukrainian schools and centers. She wrote an article, “Innovative Teaching Practices in 21st-Century Music Pedagogy,” for a Ukrainian journal. Sarah also presented a program of French and Spanish piano music alongside music of Chopin in a solo recital in April at Salle Cortot in Paris. She is a board member of the College Music Society and chairs the society’s performance council.

2017 Bassist Jakob Ebers joined the newest iteration of the audition-based Focusyear Band last September. He joins five other jazz musicians from different countries to work with 15 guest artists and record a full-length album. After 10 months of building chemistry and rapport, writes Jakob, the band will embark on a tour during the last two months of the fellowship. Focusyear is a yearlong jazz immersion program in Switzerland for promising young musicians.

School of Medicine and Dentistry

Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8

1974 Edward McDonald (MD) (see ’48 Graduate).

1979 Philip Breitfeld (MD) ’82 (Res), chief medical officer at Allterum Therapeutics in Houston, has been named to the board of scientific advisors for the contract research organization MMS Holdings to help expand the organization’s expertise in therapeutic areas. Philip held academic positions at Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, Indiana University, and Duke University before shifting his focus to developing therapeutics.

2005 Camelia Lawrence, Hartford Healthcare’s director of breast surgery at the Hospital of Central Connecticut and Midstate Medical Center and an assistant professor of surgery at University of Connecticut’s School of Medicine, has been named president of the Fairfield County Medical Association. She is the first Black woman named to the position in the association’s more than 200-year history. Camelia, a native of Jamaica, now leads an organization with nearly 1,000 physician members.

School of Nursing

Meliora weekend

October 5 to 8

1986 Nina Gaby ’90 (MS) writes that she and her husband, Craig Smith, were thrilled to move back to Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) in the spring; they felt especially welcome when Nina was notified that her work would be included in the Memorial Art Gallery’s Rochester–Finger Lakes Exhibition, which opened April 23. She says that, having won an award in the 1974 exhibition, this “truly makes a homecoming.” Nina will continue her practice as a psychiatric APRN for Thomas Chittenden Health Center in Vermont over telehealth and has created an art studio in her new home for working in mixed media.

Simon Business School

Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8

1986 Jon Wu (MBA), a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, was sworn in to take a board seat of the Connecticut Retirement Security Authority in February. Jon writes, “Connecticut is the fourth state, after Oregon, Illinois, and California, [to implement] the employer mandate auto-IRA for employees working from small businesses that do not provide retirement savings programs.” He says the mandate is designed to reduce inequality of access to retirement savings.

1988 University Life Trustee Carol (John) Davidson (MBA) was named to the independent audit quality committee of Ernst & Young. Made up of external leaders with relevant diverse experience, the committee provides independent advice to senior leaders on matters related to quality control affecting audit quality.

2005 Nathan Ringelstetter (MBA) (see ’02 College).

2008 Christopher Adams (MBA) writes that he and Katherine Bopp ’16RC supported Claude Mulindi ’22RC as he made his premiere performance at the 62nd annual Quadrille Ball in New York City in February. “The Quadrille,” writes Christopher, “is dedicated to promoting Trans-Atlantic friendship and understanding by raising funds to benefit the Germanistic Society of America’s Scholarship Fund for the exchange of American and German graduate and undergraduate students.” Christopher and Katherine are Quadrille junior committee members.

2015 Hiatt Zhao (MS) (see ’06 College).