GW Magazine

Carter Jefferson, BA ’49, is editor of a new online publication, The Internet Review of Books. He and three other writer friends published the first monthly issue in October 2007, planning to fill the void left by newspaper and magazine cutbacks of book review space. The IRB can be viewed at http://internetreviewofbooks.com.

The 2008 edition of Best Lawyers in America listed Morris Brown, BA ’51, under the specialty of personal injury litigation. Brown, a shareholder at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, has held several honorary positions in the community, including vice-chair of the New Jersey State Rules of Court Commission, member of the Rules of Evidence Committee, and member of the Character Committee.

Gus A. Mellander, BA ’59, MA ’60, PhD ’66, had the article “High Tech: Help or Hindrance to Hispanics in College?” published in the May 2007 issue of The Education Digest (Vol. 72, No. 9).

Gladys (Frank) Bernyk, BA ’59; Joan (Ramage) Mitchell, BS ’60; and Jo Toland Heslin, BA ’59; met at a spa in Rancho La Puerta, Mexico, in November to celebrate their 70th birthdays. They said they “had a great time catching up on children, grandchildren, and our lives.”

The Missouri Western State University Alumni Association Homecoming award banquet on Oct. 12. honored Edward Haffey, BA ’64, with the Distinguished Alumni Award. During more than 35 years of law practice, Haffey has specialized in representation of most major property and casualty insurers regarding suspected fraudulent claims activity.

Ronald Elberger, BA ’66, was named to the Best Lawyers in America annual rankings guide in the specialties of commercial litigation, entertainment law, legal malpractice law, professional malpractice law, and sports law. He has been listed in Best Lawyers for more than 10 years.

Proctor Jones, BA ’66, joined Steptoe & Johnson law firm as a senior legislative affairs professional in the Washington, D.C., office.

George H. Hamilton Jr., BS ’68, a noted geologist, has been selected for inclusion in the 2008 edition of Who’s Who in America. The biographical directory published by Marquis Who’s Who is the leading biographical reference publisher of the highest achievers and contributors from around the world. Hamilton’s biography first appeared in Who’s Who in 1986 and has been repeated numerous times since.

Elizabeth M. Duke, PhD ’69, was one of three women leaders in the federal government asked to participate in an exchange program with her peers in the East African country of Tanzania. Duke is administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Office of Public Health Deputy Director Phyllis Silver, BA ’69, was honored by the Family Planning Advocates of New York State for helping to shape public policy in the state. Silver, who has been in government since 1978, supervises more than 2,800 employees and a budget of nearly $2 billion. She was awarded the Shirley Gordon Public Policy Leadership Award for her efforts in promoting the health of women and their families.

Retired Maj. Gen. Bruce M. Lawlor, BA ’70, JD ’75, DSc ’03, was named director of the newly formed Center for Technology, Security and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is responsible for developing the education, research, and outreach programs of the center.

Carol Elder Bruce, BA ’71, JD ’74, was named to the Best Lawyers in America annual rankings guide. Based on 12,000 peer assessments, Best Lawyers is considered one of the leading lawyer-rating publications in the country. Bruce practices law at Venable law firm in Washington, D.C.

The board of trustees of the Recording Academy has promoted Neil Portnow, BA ’71, to president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy and has extended his contract through 2011. Portnow has been president of the nonprofit music membership organization since December 2002.

Elliot Sainer, MBA ’71, has been named one of four national finalists for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the services category. He is vice chairman of the board of CRC Health Group and founder and recently retired CEO of Aspen Education Group. He has been in the behavior health care and education fields for more than 30 years.

St. Vincent’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis., named James G. Coller, MHA ’72, as the chief executive officer. The new management arrangement for the hospitals is designed to enhance patient care and medical excellence, as well as to streamline operations in the community.

Lawrence R. Hott, BA ’72, received a 2008 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award for the two-hour documentary Through Deaf Eyes, a co-production with WETA, Washington, D.C., in association with Gallaudet University. The film was broadcast nationally on PBS in 2007.

Edward M. Liddy, MBA ’72, has been elected to the Boeing board of directors. Liddy is current chairman of The Allstate Corp., a position which he has held since 1999. He served as chief executive officer of Allstate from 1999 to 2006, president from 1995 to 2005, and chief operating officer from 1994 to 1999.

Modern Healthcare Magazine selected John P. Ferguson, MBA ’73, as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare.” Ferguson is president and CEO of Hackensack University Medical Center. He has been named to the list for four consecutive years.

Gary S. Horan, MHSA ’73, president and chief executive officer of Trinitas Hospital, has been elected a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

William H. Schrag, BA ’75, joined Dewey Ballantine law firm’s corporate department as a partner in the corporate reorganization and bankruptcy group in the New York office.

Salesgenie.com appointed Mark Israelsen, BBA ’77, as president. Israelsen joins the Silicon Valley, Calif., company with 28 years of experience in software development.

Response Insurance Group, headquartered in Meriden, Conn., named Susan Larky Claflin, BA ’78, vice president and general counsel. In her new role, Claflin will oversee the group’s legal and human resources departments.

Author, columnist, and Newsweek contributing editor Ellis Cose, MA ’78, completed a documentary called Against the Odds, the first in a projected series that will explore the lives of people in America and around the world who are working against some of society’s most overwhelming challenges.

The Abraxas Corp. in McLean, Va., named Alan Wade, MS ’78, to its corporate advisory board. Wade retired from a 35-year career at the CIA in 2005 and has been in private practice since.

After 21 years as an environmental scientist with the University of California, Ken Bogen, MA ’79, retired and joined the Oakland office of Exponent Inc., where he is a managing scientist for consulting on environmental exposure, toxicity, and risk analysis issues.

The Rose Community Foundation appointed Scott Levin, BA ’79, as chairman of the board of trustees. Levin has been a trustee of the foundation since 2004; he has chaired the foundation’s child and family development committee, and he has served on the audit committee and the Jewish life committee.

Standout Colonial basketball player Michael Brown is now helping to lead the NBA team that launched his professional career.

Brown, BA ’85, was named an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls in January. A veteran of 11 NBA seasons, Brown was Chicago’s third-round pick in the 1985 NBA draft and played with the team for two seasons, from 1986 to 1988. He joins another GW grad in the Bulls’ circle: team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, BA ’57.

While at GW, Brown was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection, and he led the A-10 in rebounding three years in a row. Brown was inducted into the George Washington Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and was named to the Colonials All-Century Basketball Team.

W. Thomas Curtis, BA ’81, MS ’95, served as a delegate from The George Washington University at the inauguration of Dr. Brian K. Johnson as the new president of Montgomery College in Montgomery County, Md.

Noblis, a nonprofit science technology and strategy organization, has appointed Amr ElSawy, MS ’81, as chief executive officer. Noblis is located in Falls Church, Va., and employs 700 people in the state.

Bill Ziegler, BBA ’81, assumed the role of board of directors chair of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars at the society’s fall meeting. He will serve a two-year term. Ziegler is the global managing director of talent acquisition at UBS Investment Bank.

The American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources elected Steven Miano, BS ’82, secretary of its executive committee. Miano is a partner at WolfBlock law firm, where he serves as co-chair of WolfBlock’s environmental and land use practice group.

Peter James Roberts, MAT ’82, published “Philatelic Materials in Archival Collections: Their Appraisal, Preservation, and Description” in the spring/summer 2007 issue of American Archivist. He also was promoted to associate professor in the special collections and archives department of Georgia State University.

Versign Inc. named Kevin A. Werner, BA ’82, senior vice president of corporate development and strategy. Versign is best known for Internet security solutions and domain service names, including .com and .net domain registrations. Werner lives in La Jolla, Calif., with his wife, Robin Emanuel, and their children, Allyson, 16, and Jesse, 13.

Margrit Beran Krewson, MA ’83, was awarded the 2007 Distinguished German-American of the Year Award from the German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA. Krewson was the Library of Congress’ German-Dutch area expert. She made arrangements for the formal acquisition of the 1507 Waldseemuller map, the oldest known document to name “America.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel officially turned over the map to the American people during a ceremony at the Library of Congress on April 30, 2007. Krewson worked on the project for more than 15 years.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission elected Hon. Adrienne Mandel, MA ’84, as chair of the board of commissioners.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis appointed Robert J. Schenk, BA ’84, senior vice president of the public and community affairs division. Schenk will be responsible for leading staff in community outreach and development, media relations, and economic and financial education in the St. Louis office as well as at the bank’s branches in Louisville, Ky.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Memphis, Tenn.

Leonard L. Gordon, BA ’85, JD ’88, was appointed assistant regional director for the Federal Trade Commission’s Northeast Region. He is based in New York.

Parker Aerospace in Irvine, Calif., named Ed Feick, MBA ’86, vice president of customer support. He is responsible for all financial and operational aspects of the division that provides worldwide aftermarket support for systems and components manufactured by Parker Aerospace.

Kennedy Covington law firm named Bill Brian, MA ’87, chair of the firm’s land use and zoning practice in Durham, N.C. This section includes 23 attorneys and focuses on zoning, land use and municipal law, real estate litigation, and commercial real estate law.

David Metcalf, MBA ’87, MS ’91, was hired as transportation regional manager in the Chantilly, Va., office of Burgess & Niple. He is responsible for transportation business development, serving as client liaison and providing technical quality control for municipal and state projects.

Pasquale J. Rocco Jr., BA ’87, and his wife, Susan, welcomed their second child, Dominic Alfred, in April 2007. The family lives in Pittsburgh.

Valerie A. Yarashus, BA ’87, was elected treasurer of the Massachusetts Bar Association for the 2007-08 year. Yarashus is a principal at Sugarman & Sugarman, where she concentrates on plaintiff’s trial practice and a wide variety of other general liability cases.

Ian Waitz, MS ’88, was named head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s department of aeronautics and astronautics in February.

Catholic Health East appointed John Capasso, MHSA ’89, as president and chief executive officer of its new continuing care management services network. Capasso has been working in health care management for more than 25 years.

Alane Laboda, BA ’89, was named Florida marketing chair for the 2008 Defense Research Institute’s annual meeting in October 2008. DRI is the national organization of defense trial lawyers and corporate counsel.

GrayHair Software appointed Raymond Chin, MA ’90, vice president of product development and management. Chin is an expert in software development and was director of product management for Group 1’s coding solutions.

John David Morris, BA ’90, MPA ’93, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Congress in central Illinois, the 18th district. To learn more about his campaign, go to www.votejohnmorris.com.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell appointed Karen Senich, BA ’90, executive director of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Senich has been acting director of the commission since January 2007.

Vicky Wright Jefferis, MPA ’91, retired in October after 30 years of Army civilian employment. She was the first female civilian selected to serve in a senior staff position at U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson in Georgia, near Atlanta. As deputy chief of staff G8/comptroller, Jefferis led strategic planning, change management, and program evaluation activities, and directed resource management. Jefferis and her husband, Larry, planned to move to southeast Georgia to be near the Atlantic coast.

The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse elected Elizabeth S. Woo, PhD ’91, to its board of directors. Woo is the vice president of sales, biotechnology market, and application specialists program for Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she is responsible for all aspects of sales to the biotechnology/biopharmaceutical market segment.

Angelo Barone, MBA ’92, joined Chicago’s Lifeline Theater as managing director in August. Barone is responsible for all nonartistic functions, including operations, finance, market, and strategic planning, and has oversight of all development and fundraising.

Pepper Hamilton announced that Matthew S. Gilman, BA ’92, a corporate and securities lawyer, has joined the Boston office as a partner. Gilman assists in the growth and development of the firm’s corporate and securities practice in the Boston office.

Tom Henderschedt, BA ’92, and Erin (Rovak) Henderschedt, BA ’93, welcomed their fourth son in December. Zeke joins Jack, 9; Jed, 7; and Huck, 3.5. The family lives in Beijing while Tom, a Navy commander, serves as assistant naval attaché at the U.S. Embassy. Erin hosts the Web site, www.EveryBabyBook.com, and writes a blog at http://henderschedtsinchina.blogspot.com.

Andrea Lapp, BBA ’92, and her husband, Derrick, welcomed their daughter, Heather Abigail, on Feb. 16, 2007, in Owings Mills, Md.

Vincent Rocco, BA ’92, and Jennifer (Poli) Rocco, BA ’93, welcomed their twin sons, Andrew and Jake, on July 23, 2007, in Morristown, N.J. They join their 5-year-old brother Nicholas. Vincent is an account executive with MetLife, and Jennifer is a full-time mom.

The Transportation Security Administration announced the selection of Gale Rossides, MPA ’92, as permanent deputy administrator. She had served in the role in an acting capacity since April 2007.

Jem Spectar, MA ’92, was inaugurated as the fifth president of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in September. Previously, Spectar was an administrator at Western Oregon University, University of Scranton, Princeton University, and University of La Verne.

Vice Adm. Richard K. Gallagher, MPA ’93, was promoted to deputy commander of U.S. European Command. He had been director of operations for the past two years. He has logged over 4,000 flight hours and 800 aircraft carrier landings in more than two decades of service.

Aaron Leventhal, MA ’93, has been named chief executive officer of Hero Arts, a family-owned rubber stamp business that started in 1974 in a Berkeley apartment bathroom. Leventhal bought Hero Arts in May 2007 from his mother, Jacqueline, who continues as creative director.

The Library of Congress appointed Peggy Pearlstein, PhD ’93, head of the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division. Pearlstein is the immediate past president of the Research, Archives, and Special Libraries Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She also just completed a two-year term as president of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.

Bill Westenhofer, MS ’95, got the chance to share the red carpet with Hollywood’s best when he won the 2008 award for Achievement in Visual Effects from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work on the film The Golden Compass. Westenhofer won the Oscar with colleagues Michael Fink, Ben Morris, and Trevor Wood.

As visual effects supervisor for Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles, Westenhofer led a crew of 500 on two continents over 18 months to produce nearly 400 shots featured in the film, which stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards.

Westenhofer studied computer graphics at GW under James Hahn, chair of the department of computer science, director of the GW Institute for Biomedical Engineering, and professor of engineering and applied science. In 2000, GW Magazine featured Hahn and the GW Institute for Computer Graphics along with Westenhofer and other GW graduates involved in major computer animation movies.

Patrick Tadie, MBA ’93, was promoted to executive vice president at the Bank of New York Mellon’s global structured finance division. He manages 500 professionals in locations worldwide. Tadie and his wife, Beatriz, live in Princeton, N.J., and have three children.

The Metro D.C. Dance Award for best large venue production was awarded to Dana Tai Soon Burgess, MFA ’94, director of Washington, D.C.’s premiere Asian American Dance Company.

On Sept. 8, 2007, in Mount Joy, Pa., Meredith Gillian Miller, MPA ’94, married Daniel Croghan. Miller is a staff lawyer at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, and Croghan is a principal scientist for ManTech International, a defense contractor in Rosslyn, Va.

Sallie Mae promoted Marcos Bronfman, MBA ’95, to vice president of financial planning and analysis. Bronfman joined Sallie Mae in 1995 and is currently responsible for student loan pricing and profitability analyses.

Michael Cherenson, certificate in political management ’95, was voted chair-elect for the Public Relations Society of America during its 2007 international conference in Philadelphia. Cherenson is executive vice president, public relations, for Success Communications.

Virgil Beaston, MS ’96, was elected director at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox law firm in Washington. He is a member of the electronics group, and he focuses his practice on patent infringement and protection in technical fields. Beaston also is an adjunct professor of law at George Mason University and a retired Army Reserve officer.

The work of Yahia Lababidi, BA ’96, has been included in an encyclopedia of sayings titled The World’s Great Aphorists by former Time magazine editor James Geary. Geary called Lababidi’s aphorisms “elegant, thoughtful, and wise.”

The William and Mary Alumni Association honored Christine Nemacheck, PhD ’97, with the Alumni Fellowship Award. Nemacheck, an associate professor of government, was among five faculty members recognized at the awards ceremony.

Michael O’Neil, BS ’98, joined Woodward & Curran engineering company in White Plains, N.Y., as a project engineer.

Database marketing agency Merkle, located in Lanham, Md., promoted Barry Smith, MBA ’98, to chief information officer. As CIO, Smith is responsible for leading and building the company’s technology infrastructure and developing its internal information systems.

Jessica (Bedoya) Hermann, BA ’00, is pursuing a PhD in political science with a specialization in world politics at The Catholic University of America. She continues to work at the State Department while taking classes. In July 2007 she married David Hermann in Washington, D.C., with celebrations at the Hay Adams Hotel. Several GW alumni were in attendance.

Brandon Moss, BS ’00, JD ’03, joined Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane law firm as an associate attorney in its Quincy, Mass., office. He focuses his practice in areas of municipal law and litigation. He lives in North Quincy, Mass.

James J. Quinlan, BA ’00, joined Blank Rome law firm as an associate in the product liability group. He is based in the firm’s Cherry Hill, N.J., office.

Marc E. Schaefer and Stacy Shubitz, BA ’00, were married on Dec. 23, 2007, at the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, N.J. The ceremony was co-officiated by Rabbi Stacey (Nolish) Blank, BA ’99, and the matron of honor was Lori (Melnikoff) Leibowitz, BA ’98. Marc Greenfield, BBA ’99, and Rachel Mandelman, BA ’98, were also in attendance. The newlyweds reside in Providence, R.I., where she is a fourth grade teacher and he is a physician.

Brown-Forman Corp. in Louisville, Ky., which produces and markets the alcohol brands Jack Daniel’s and Southern Comfort, appointed Robert Kaplan, BA ’01, to senior corporate responsibility analyst. Kaplan, who had served as a summer intern for the company, received his MBA degree from UC Berkeley in May 2007.

Molly Conners, BA ’02, co-produced Frozen River, a dramatic feature that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It is her second feature since her transition from producing commercials.

National litigation firm Foley and Mansfield hired Hillary B. Parsons, BS ’02, as an associate in the Minneapolis toxic torts and mass litigation group. Previously, Parsons served as a law clerk for Hon. Gordon W. Shumaker at the State of Minnesota Court of Appeals.

The board of directors of the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation appointed Tracy L. Sullivan, MA ’02, as the new executive director of the Lee-Fendell House Museum and Garden in Old Town Alexandria.

Ahmed Elmi, MPH ’03, is co-founder of the Somali American Community Association, a nonprofit group that provides job training, language assistance, and tutoring to Somalis living in the United States.

On Sept. 14, 2007, Cathy Joens, BS ’03, married Patrick Englebrecht in California. Cathy played basketball in France last winter, for the Chicago Sky WNBA last summer, and in Spain this winter. Some of her former GW teammates attended the wedding celebration.

Rehan Waheed, MA ’03, has entered first-year studies at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, W.V.

Vangent Inc., in Arlington, Va., named Lamont Silves, MS ’03, as its new senior vice president of business development. Prior to joining Vangent, Silves was senior vice president of strategic development at CACI International.

Nita Baum, MBA ’04, was chosen as part of the Broad Residency Urban Education program, a development program that places talented early career executives from the private or civic sectors into two-year, full-time, paid positions at the top levels of urban schools across the country. “Broad Residents” receive intensive professional development and access to a nationwide network of education leaders.

Henderson State University honored Kim Young Jun, PhD ’05, an assistant professor of economics, with the Outstanding Faculty Award and the Excellence in Scholarly Activity Award. The awards are given to one member of the entire faculty at Henderson State University.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development, and U.S. Small Business Administration presented Simon Lee, MS ’05, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his ongoing dedication to the advancement of minority business enterprises at a White House reception and dinner on Sept. 13 and 14. Lee was nominated by executives of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for his outstanding accomplishments and commitments to Asian American businesses.

Ellice Perez, MBA ’05, has joined Zipcar as vice president of its Washington, D.C., operations. With more than 10 years of business development and strategic growth experience, Perez joins the Zipcar team in preparation for the company’s continued expansion.

Citizens Bank in Providence, R.I., appointed Sarah Belanger Hay, MA ’06, as vice president and communications manager of business integration in manufacturing. Belanger Hay joined Citizens Bank from Fenton Communications, where she was an account executive.

Eleanor E. Collins, BBA ’07, received a $1,000 academic scholarship from the Benjamin Franklin University Alumni Association, while Johanna Sears, BA ’07, received a $5,000 scholarship from the organization. Collins’ scholarship was applied to the cost of her undergraduate education, while Sears’ scholarship is being applied to her studies in pursuit of a GW Master of Accountancy degree. The BFUAA presented the scholarships, along with two others that went to current undergraduates, at its annual meeting in 2007. Benjamin Franklin University merged with GW within the business school in 1987.