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Alumni Newsmakers

The 1950s

Henry Droll, BS '52, MA '53, and his wife, Mary Droll, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 27, 2012. The couple met at the George Washington University Hospital, where they both worked. They later moved to Kansas City, Mo., where Henry taught chemistry at the University of Missouri–Kansas City until retirement. They raised five children and have four grandchildren. 

The 1960s

Vincent T. DeVita, MD '61, DSc '84, is incoming president of the American Cancer Society's board of trustees. Dr. DeVita is the Amy and Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale School of Medicine.

Paul Fahrstrom, MS '63, is the author of Introduction to UAV Systems, 4th Edition (Wiley, 2012). The book, which provides an introduction to every element of a complete unmanned aircraft system, is written for those who desire a comprehensive overview at the system level.

Michael Martin, BA '66, published Liberalism: The Demise of America (Amazon Digital Services, 2012). The book looks at liberalism from many different angles, including political, economic, and philosophical perspectives. An electronic version is available on Amazon.

The 1970s

George Meek, MA '73, spent four weeks in Israel and Palestine with Interfaith Peace-Builders and the International Solidarity Movement and wrote about his perspective on the ongoing conflict in the region. He posted his findings at seekpeaceinpalestine.blogspot.com.

John F. Morton, BA '70, MA '73, wrote Next-Generation Homeland Security: Network Federalism and the Course to National Preparedness (Naval Institute Press, 2012). The book includes a foreword by former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

Dave Roseman, BA '70, wrote a negotiation how-to ebook entitled OMG My Kids Are Talking About the Awesome Benefits of S.I.N. (Which They Learned From This Book). Intended to teach young adults how to negotiate successfully and win arguments, the book is available for purchase on Amazon.

Mauro "Mac" Calcaño, BA '71, is the new vice president of human resources for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. He brings more than 30 years of senior leadership in human resources from such brands as Sara Lee, Chiquita Brands International, and Timex.

Carl Lounsbury, MA '77, PhD '83, published a collection of his papers entitled Essays in Early American Architectural History (University of Virginia Press, 2011) as well as Bruton Parish Church: An Architectural History, which honors the 300-year anniversary of the church in Williamsburg, Va. Mr. Lounsbury teaches a summer architectural field school course in the College of William and Mary's history department and also works in the architectural research department at Colonial Williamsburg.

Joey P. Manlapaz, BA '77, MFA '80, was a featured artist on artsyshark.com this December.

Peter R. Silverman, BA '77, is the co-author of Annual Franchise and Distribution Law Developments, 2012 (American Bar Association, 2012), which is a reference guide for case law from August 2011 to August 2012. Mr. Silverman is a member of the litigation practice group in the Toledo, Ohio, office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.

The 1980s

Rose Gottemoeller, MA '81, was formally nominated for the post of undersecretary of state for arms control and international security at the State Department after serving as acting secretary.

Eric K. Federing, BA '82, worked at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., as a communications manager—his sixth convention in the position, and his fifth as director of press information center operations. He operated eight press information centers in the convention venues in Charlotte, N.C., managing 50 volunteers and serving several thousand credentialed news media professionals.

Sarah Ghorbanian, BS '82, MS '85, has joined the architecture, engineering, and interior design firm of EwingCole. A museum designer, Ms. Ghorbanian is now on the firm's design teams for several Smithsonian Institution projects, including the revitalization of the Anacostia Community Museum and the Education Center at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.

Lisa Falk, MA '87, is director of education at the Arizona State Museum. As part of the museum's participation in first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, Ms. Falk created a diabetes awareness project, including an exhibit, community programming, and a digital comic book, It's Up 2 You! The Museum Association of Arizona honored Ms. Falk for her work on the program with the 2012 award for "distinguished excellence in contributions to the museum field and community." The It's Up 2 You! comic can be viewed at healthypima.org, under "Media."

Jeanne Casey Hammond, BA '88, wrote and published A Just Man Is Hard to Find (Greenwood Publications, 2012), a coming-of-age novel about a pre-law student's search for an ideal to live and love by.

Stephen Kliegerman, BBA '89, was appointed to the advisory board of GW's Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis. Mr. Kliegerman is president of Terra Development Marketing.

The 1990s

Ed Moser, MA '91, has published Foundering Fathers: What Jefferson, Franklin, and Abigail Adams Saw in Modern DC! (Moser Ink. Publishing, 2012), a comedy e-book. The book features Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Abigail Adams, brought back to life by a biotech firm, in contemporary Washington, D.C. Mr. Moser, formerly a joke writer for Jay Leno at The Tonight Show, has written speeches for George H.W. Bush and is the author of A Patriot's A to Z of America (Turner, 2011).

Cathryn Prince, BA '92, will publish her fourth book, Death in the Baltic: The World War Two Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), in April. Using historical records and original interviews from survivors, the book tells the catastrophic story of the Wilhelm Gustloff—a cruise liner turned escape ship that, in January 1945, was carrying nearly 10,000 German refugees when it was struck by three torpedoes from a Soviet submarine.

Edith Jerry Patterson, EdD '93, was appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley and approved by the Maryland Senate to serve on the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The 12-member board's responsibilities include establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and private colleges, administering financial aid statewide, and helping plan, supervise, and coordinate the state's post-secondary education system.

Terence N. Cushing, BA '96, joined the Phoenix office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer as a partner specializing in civil litigation defense. He was also listed in Southwest Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2012).

Aaron D. Ford, MA '97, was elected to the Nevada State Senate, District 11. Born in Dallas, Ford received his undergraduate education at Texas A&M University. He is now a partner at Snell & Wilmer LLC in Las Vegas.

Tim Krepp, BA '97, published Capitol Hill Haunts (The History Press, 2012), which explores the most historic and hair-raising haunted tales of the Hill. Mr. Krepp lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters. He leads tours in D.C. and enjoys delving into tales of ghostly lore.

Troy Miller, MS '97, is the co-creator of The Bad Date Project, a play that premiered Off-Broadway in New York City in June 2012. He has spent the last several years conducting interviews with people about their dating experiences and coordinating events where New Yorkers gather to share their dating stories. These stories became the basis for the play, which focuses on the culture of being single and over 30 in New York.

Cherreka Montgomery, MA '97, joined the executive team of SAP National Security Services as vice president for corporate development. She will work with the intelligence and defense communities to understand their mission requirements.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, BA '98, is a dietitian and wellness manager at the Cleveland Clinic, a writer, a blogger, and a member of the Dr. Oz Show advisory board. In October, she made the Huffington Post's list of 35 health experts to follow.

Laura Bessem Asher, RESD '99, is a holistic family medicine and women's health physician at Natural Horizons Wellness Centers in Fairfax, Va. She puts an emphasis on helping others and has volunteered in many countries, including Haiti, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, Lesotho, and, locally, in the Appalachian Mountains.

Stephanie Leigh Batiste, MPhil '99, PhD '03, published her first book, Darkening Mirrors: Imperial Representation in Depression-Era African American Performance (Duke University Press, 2012). The project examines the complicated ways in which African Americans participated in American ideologies of cultural imperialism. Batiste is associate professor of black studies and English at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The 2000s

Suzanne Guillette, BA '00, is a writer in New York City whose first book, Much to Your Chagrin: A Memoir of Embarrassment (Atria Books, 2009), is a memoir of how chronicling the humiliations of others helped her come to understand and accept herself.

Charlene Kannankeril, BA '00, and Stephen Voss, BA '01, are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Lena Rose. She was born on Sept. 5, 2012, in Rockville, Md., weighing 6 lb., 12 oz. Mom, dad, and big brother Luke are enjoying their new life as a family of four at their home in Washington, D.C.

Eric Telchin, BA '00, published his debut picture book, See a Heart, Share a Heart (Penguin, 2012). Half the proceeds from Mr. Telchin's "World Sees Hearts" are donated to Dan Savage's anti-bullying campaign, the It Gets Better Project. His website is BoySeesHearts.com.

Michael Gargano, EdD '01, was named vice president for academic, faculty, and student affairs for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Gargano was working with the Louisiana State University System, where he served as vice president for student and academic support services and chief of staff.

Rebecca Schimmer Kirshner, BA '01, and Benjamin Kirshner, BA '00, welcomed their second daughter, Isabella Jade Kirshner, on Sept. 8, 2012. Rebecca and Benjamin are also the proud parents of daughter Sydney Dale Kirshner, who will be 3 years old this October. Benjamin and Rebecca reside in Gladwyne, Pa.

Babatunde Oloyede, CERT '01, AS '02, BS '04, MS '07, was promoted to lieutenant commander in the United States Public Health Service during the 2012 promotion cycle. He has also been selected as the 2012 American Society of Clinical Pathology Southeast Regional Award winner.

Dan Ericson, BA '02, JD '05, and Ellen Cornelius Ericson are proud to announce the birth of their baby boy, Seth Robert Ericson. Seth was born on Aug. 7, 2012, at the George Washington University Hospital. Mom, dad, and Seth are doing well, and are looking forward to Dad's 10-year reunion!

Steve McGuire, PhD '03, was honored as a 2012 Outstanding Professor at California State University, Los Angeles, where he is a professor of management in the College of Business and Economics.

Aaron J. Aisen, BA '04, joined the law firm of Goldberg Segalla as an associate in its global insurance services and e-discovery practice groups.

Urmika Devi, BA '04, received the Duane Morris Pro Bono Award for her work with immigrants, refugees, and domestic violence survivors. Her pro bono work has also included efforts on behalf of nonprofit organizations and low-income artists in trademark, copyright, and other contract matters. Ms. Devi was also named one of The Legal Intelligencer's pro bono "unsung heroes" for 2012.

Elizabeth Barrett Groth, BA '04, was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award in outstanding innovative design for her puppet design for We in Silence Hear a Whisper, produced by the Red Fern Theatre Company in New York City.

Lucy Kafanov, BA '05, was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her work with Russia Today's team of reporters covering the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Ms. Kafanov interviewed actor and director Mark Ruffalo at one of the protests as part of her coverage.

Shandi Treloar, MA '06, was promoted to an associate at Dewberry, the professional services firm. Ms. Treloar has been a project consultant in Dewberry's emergency management, disaster, and mitigation services branch for seven years.

Dave Mahaley, MA '07, an alumnus of GW's Educational Technology Leadership Program, organized and presented "Teaching and Learning With the iPad" at the Education Technology Learning Summit. The conference, which took place Nov. 16-17 in Raleigh, N.C., was sold out. Mr. Mahaley is currently the principal of the Franklin Academy High School in Wake Forest, N.C., and has led several other iPad and technology initiatives.

John H. Muller, BA '07, is the author of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia (The History Press, 2012), which explores Douglass' final years in Washington, D.C. Mr. Muller was able to use resources on Douglass only available in the Gelman Library to write the book.

Gerardo Giannoni, MBA '08, published Jeff Bezos' Secrets of Success (Baquiano Books, 2012), which explores the e-commerce pioneer's methods through quotes and facts.

Laura Bentele, BA '09, joined the St. Louis office of Armstrong Teasdale LLP as an associate in its litigation practice group.

Jonna Gilbert, BA '09 and Max Wahle, BS '09, were married July 7, 2012, in Silverthorne, Colo.

Joey Meléndez, MS '09, received an award for outstanding community service from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Mr. Meléndez, a systems engineer for Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding division, was presented with a 2012 SHPE STAR Award during the organization's annual national conference in Fort Worth, Texas. He is also a systems engineering doctoral student at GW.

The 2010s

Allie Hagan, BA '09, MA '10, has published her first book, Suri's Burn Book: Well-Dressed Commentary From Hollywood's Little Sweetheart (Running Press, 2012). The book is based on Ms. Hagan's popular blog of the same name. In an interview with People magazine, Ms. Hagan describes the book as humorous and satirical.

Jack Bergstrand, MA '11, has joined the board of advisers for the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University. Formerly chief information officer for Coca-Cola Co., Mr. Bergstrand is now chief executive of Brand Velocity, a consulting firm he founded in 2001.

Marian Ackun-Farmmer, BS '12, accepted a position as a quality associate at Baxter Healthcare. She works in Cleveland, Miss., and will be rotating through the program for three years in other plants.

William Schrieber, BA '12, published his first book, Moldova: Arena of International Influences (Lexington Books, 2012). The volume is a collection of 18 authors of different nationalities, each describing his or her own country's bilateral relations with Moldova. Mr. Schrieber is co-editor of the collection and author of the chapter on U.S.-Moldovan relations. His research in Moldova was supported by a Millar Grant from GW's Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. Previously, he wrote about Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria for Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal.

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