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Since graduating from GW, Ramon N. Daomilas, MA ’51, has served over the years as an instructor, registrar, dean of graduate school, and executive vice president at the Immaculate Conception College in Ozamiz City, Philippines. In 1974, he earned his PhD at the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines. A copy of his book, Rizal at Dapitan and Some Historical Bits of Misamis Occidental, was donated to GW’s Gelman Library last year.

About the Bride of Christ (ABC Originals, 2006) is the second book by Anne Brill Chason, AA ’52. Her first book, Alphabet Belonging to Christ, was published in 1996.

Stanley Cohen, BS ’57, and Marilyn R. Cohen, MA ’62, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 24, 2007. The Cohens live in Silver Spring, Md. Stanley retired in June 2000 from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, and Marilyn retired from the Department of Health and Human Services in January 2003.

Assad Meymandi, MD ’62, and his family foundation pledged $1.7 million to endow the Andre Malraux Chair of French Literature at the University of Paris Sorbonne. His previous donation helped create the Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C. He is also planning gifts to benefit the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Carolina Performing Arts Series at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The Society of American Military Engineers awarded the President’s Medal, one of its highest awards, to Harold I. Rosen, BBA ’64, JD ’67, LLM ’73. Rosen has served as the society’s general counsel and as a member of its board of directors and executive committee for the past eight years. He has also been an officer of its Academy of Fellows since 1994.

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis attorney Neil Thomas Proto, MA ’69, JD ’72, was appointed to the board of directors of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Sandra E. Sohcot, BA ’70, was appointed executive director of the Rex Foundation, a public charitable organization founded by members of the Grateful Dead and dedicated to promoting environmental, artistic, social, and cultural causes overlooked by mainstream funding entities. Sohcot also is a commissioner on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and has been honored with a “Women Who Make a Difference” award from the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women.

The Bristol Pilot in Pennsylvania featured Frederic H. Baumgarten, BA ’72, for his numerous humanitarian and commercial enterprises, which include a number of historical renovation projects and his work as a trustee of the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

William H. Schrag, BA ’75, joined Dewey Ballantine’s corporate department as a partner in the corporate reorganization and bankruptcy group resident in the New York office. While his practice focuses primarily on the representation of bank leaders and agents, he also has represented major manufacturers and institutional creditors, official creditors’ committees, Chapter 11 trustees, purchasers of estate assets, and a court-appointed examiner.

Leonard Benowich, BS ’76, received an award for excellence in commercial brief writing from the New York State Bar Association for his brief for defendant-counterclaimant-appellee in Design Strategy, Inc. v. Davis (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2007).

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC, its fundraising organization, hired Ken Ferber, BA ’77, as chief communications officer and senior vice president. He oversees public relations and communications staff at both institutions. Ferber most recently served as the staff vice president of corporate communications at WellPoint, where his department was voted the best large communications department by PRWeek magazine.

The law firm of Miller Canfield appointed Elizabeth K. Needleman, MPA ’79, its director of human resources. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, the Human Resources Association of Greater Detroit, WorldatWork nonprofit association, and the national and local chapters of the Association of Legal Administrators. Previously Needleman was human resources director at the Pierce Atwood law firm in Portland, Maine, one of New England’s largest law firms. She lives in Plymouth, Mich.

Mary McCarthy, BA ’80, was appointed director of product management at Ingram Book Group Inc. A 27-year veteran of the publishing industry, she most recently was the vice president and chief operating officer of the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops and 800-CEO-READ in Milwaukee, Wis.

Cozen O’Connor attorney Jeffrey L. Nash, BA ’80, received the Children and Family Commitment Award from the Center for Family Services Youth Empowerment System (YES) facility. The award was presented to Nash in honor of his commitment to children and families, which led to the creation of the YES center, a haven for troubled children and abused runaways.

Thomas A. Rollow, MEA ’80, was sworn in as the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy in June 2006. He advises the secretary of the navy on all matters pertaining to mishap prevention, personnel safety, and the preservation of material resources.

The Pennsylvania Senate confirmed John Saler, BA ’80, to the Pennsylvania Public Television Network Commission, which is the policy and decision making board for PPTN. Saler is co-chair of the government and public affairs practice group at Stradley Ronon in Philadelphia.

The Washington, D.C., office of Arnold & Porter welcomed Raul R. Herrera, BA ’81, JD ’84, to its corporate securities practice group, where he will continue to expand his Latin American transactional and arbitration practice.

Cozen O’Connor member Catherine Slavin, BA ’81, served as a panelist for the American Bar Association’s Aviation Litigation Committee Seminar, which took place in New York. Slavin’s panel, titled “‘If Only I Had Known…’: Lawyers Who Have Changed Hats,” focused on aviation practitioners who have taken “in house” positions or moved to and from the insurance industry.

David Magee, BA ’83, has been promoted to president of Contigo Capital Advisors Inc., a wealth management firm headquartered in San Francisco. He will focus primarily on new business development, including the firm’s wealth managers and marketing efforts.

In his political documentary Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington, Jonathan Neil Schneider, BBA ’84, investigates political corruption, including the influence that special interest groups hold over the democratic process, governmental dependence on big business, and the apathy of the voting public. Schneider has worked as a congressional intern, a salesman, an actor, and a producer, among other careers. He wrote, directed, and produced Mr. Schneider Goes to Washington, which is his first feature film.

Christine M. Bruzek-Kohler, MA ’85, EdD ’93, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral (upper half, two stars) in July. Bruzek-Kohler serves as chief of staff at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and is the 21st director of the Navy Nurse Corps.

On April 23, Pasquale J. Rocco Jr., BA ’87, and his wife, Susan, welcomed their second child, Dominic Alfred. The family lives in Pittsburgh. “Big sister Silvana is thrilled to have another potential GW alum in the house!” Pasquale Rocco says.

Bradley P. Hartman, BBA ’90, JD ’95, was recently elected to the board of directors of the Amblyopia Foundation of America, a nonprofit pediatric health organization dedicated to screening and treating the disorder commonly known as lazy eye. Hartman is a partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker in Phoenix.

McCarter & English partner Gregory H. Horowitz, BBA ’90, JD ’93, was selected by American Lawyer as one of the New York area’s “Best Lawyers” for insurance matters. He was also selected as one of the New Jersey Law Journal’s “40 Under 40” list of young lawyers, and by Law and Politics as a “New Jersey Rising Star Super Lawyer” for insurance matters. He lives in Springfield, N.J., with his wife, Wendi, and their two children, Jared and Julia.

Michael S. Rosenberg, BA ’91, is assistant director of the division of enforcement and investigation at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Washington, D.C. Previously he was a partner in the business litigation practice group of the Philadelphia law firm Wolf Block.

Author Pam Jenoff, BA ’92, has been nominated for a Quill Award for excellence in romance fiction for her debut novel, The Kommandant’s Girl (Mira, 2007). A Holocaust expert, Pam served as vice-counsel for the U.S. State Department in Kraków as well as special assistant to the secretary of the army at the Pentagon. The novel draws on her extensive knowledge of Poland during World War II.

In March, Jeff Kerley, BS ’92, and Melissa Georgopolis Kerley, BA ’92, welcomed their second daughter, Alysia Jane. Jeff is an attorney with Rissman Barrett in Tampa, Fla., and Melissa is a full-time mother. The family lives in Gulfport, Fla.

The University of Pittsburgh named Jem Spectar, MA ’92, president of its Johnstown campus. Spectar previously was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Western Oregon University. He has received two awards for excellence in teaching.

Richard W. Salgueiro, MHSA ’93, completed an assignment serving as senior healthcare consultant to the surgeon general of the Iraqi armed forces and retired from active service in May 2007. He serves as president and CEO of the Desoto Regional Health System in Mansfield, La.

In April, Yosefi Seltzer, BA ’93, began as an associate general counsel with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He also is the author of a chapter titled, “From a Chessboard to the Matrix: The Challenge of Applying the Laws of Armed Conflict in the Asymmetric Warfare Era,” in War and Peace in the Jewish Tradition (Yeshiva University, 2007.)

Wilentz, Golding & Spitzer announced that attorney Daniel M. Serviss, BA ’93, was designated by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for the second consecutive year. He focuses his practice on family law involving issues of divorce, child custody, domestic partnerships, adoptions, and domestic violence.

In June, Brian Walters, MBA ’93, was promoted to vice president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa operations for J.D. Power and Associates. The position is responsible for all quality and customer satisfaction research throughout the EMEA region as well as research in a number of industries, including automotive, retail banking, telecommunications, and utilities. Walters has worked for J.D. Power for 10 years and was transferred to its office in Guildford, Surrey, near London, three years ago.

Sarah Dohrmann, BA ’94, a writer living in New York City, received a U.S. Fulbright Award to travel to Morocco for creative writing. In addition, the U.S. Fulbright Commission presented her with a Critical Language Enhancement Award for study in Arabic. In Morocco, she intends to complete a collection of personal essays comparing her deceased mother’s feminist involvement in Iowa during the 1970s to contemporary Moroccan Islamic women’s issues. She is also writing a novel.

Since summer 2005, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Richard K. Gallagher, MPA ’94, has been director of the European Plans and Operations Center in Stuttgart, Germany.

UBS Financial Services hired Melanie Folstad, MBA ’96, as a financial adviser. She lives in Chevy Chase, Md., and most recently worked as a wealth management advisor with TIAA-CREF.

Jason Burdette, BA ’97, and his wife, Gail, welcomed their first daughter, Eleanor Jane, in October 2006.

At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Brian Kamoie, JD ’96, MPH ’97, is deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and director of the office of policy, strategic planning, and communications within the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response.

Lisa Gruber, BA ’98, married Tino Selitto in Sonoma, Calif. She works in research and manages clinical trials for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and he is the chief investment officer at Akahi Capital Management. The couple lives in San Francisco.

Tonya (Bowser) Byrd, MBA ’00, and her husband, Stenette Byrd III, celebrated the birth of twins,
Trae Denise and Stenette IV, on June 8, 2007.

REALTOR Magazine selected Anslie Stokes, BBA ’01, as one of its “30 Under 30” honorees for 2007, recognizing her contributions to the real estate industry. Stokes is a Washington, D.C., resident and is involved in numerous community and civic organizations.

In July, Gayle I. Horwitz, BA ’02, an associate in the Cleveland office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, was named secretary of the board of directors of the Cleveland Jewish News. Among other endeavors, she also is president of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the American Constitution Society and a member of the Hon. William K. Thomas Inn of Court.

Nicholas Talarico, BA ’02, worked this summer in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the operations director of FORGE, an international nonprofit agency working to provide refugees with the skills and resources necessary for repatriation.

Erin Tench, MTA ’02, is the president of event management company Hyland Events.

President George W. Bush named Jason Recher, BA ’04, as special assistant to the president and trip director. He previously served as a trip director in the Office of Presidential Advance.

The U.S. Air Force promoted Robert J. Ellis III, BBA ’05, to the rank of first lieutenant. Ellis is currently deployed as a flight commander in the Middle East. During his time at GW, Ellis worked for now former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, whose own military service served as his inspiration. His forwarding address is: Lt. Robert J. Ellis III, AUAB CAOC CST, APO AE, 09309.

J. Russell Fugett, MS ’07, became the first third-generation African-American member of the Sons of the American Revolution, following his father, former Washington Redskin and Dallas Cowboy Jean S. Fugett Jr., JD ’81, and grandfather, Jean Fugett Sr. The Fugetts are descended from Henry Bakeman, a free African who fought in the Revolutionary War battle of Ontario, N.Y.

The inaugural 2007 Blue Planet Run team selected Shiri Leventhal, MTA ’07, to join 19 other citizen athletes, representing 13 nationalities, in a three month international relay to raise awareness and funds for safe drinking water projects around the world.

Sharing Art in the Orient


Art therapist Jeri L. Corbin traveled to China last year to teach clinicians about the benefits and techniques of art therapy.

Art therapist Jeri L. Corbin believes watercolors are as soothing as words.

That’s why Corbin, MA ’87, shared her profession with clinicians halfway around the world last year at a workshop dedicated to creative-driven psychotherapy.

Corbin, a certified art therapist and teacher, was one of several U.S. professionals invited to demonstrate and lecture about art therapy techniques at Shanghai Mental Health Center, the largest mental health facility in China.

A graduate of GW’s art therapy program, Corbin has worked in the profession for almost two decades with the belief that creating artwork enhances a person’s mental and physical health, sparks cognitive and psychological development, and promotes overall well being.

By splashing paint on canvas or sculpting a figure by hand, Corbin says people can creatively, and deeply, explore their thoughts and emotions. She has worked with geriatric, schizophrenic, and chronically mentally ill patients, and says the benefits are noticeable, such as increases in self esteem, coping skills, and problem solving abilities.

In China, Corbin got a chance to globally pass on her passion.

“They value art therapy as a treatment modality, and they are aware that just prescribing medication and talk therapy is not enough,” Corbin says about the health center, which sponsored her trip.

Back in the states, Corbin is now working on a proposal to recruit U.S. registered and board-certified art therapists to teach art therapy in Shanghai.

—Anna Ford

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