Class Notes

1968

Daniel C. Holsenbeck, Ed '68 (MEd), received the 2022 Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award from Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society at American colleges. Holsenbeck was initiated into Auburn University's chapter of ODK in 1963 and later began writing for the society's magazine, The Circle. He was ODK's province director for Alabama and Mississippi and served on the society's National Council. He also was involved with ODK's National Awards Committee and chaired ODK's 75th anniversary celebration. Holsenbeck retired from the University of Central Florida, where he served as vice president for university relations.

1970

Zane O. Gresham, A&S '70, was elected to the board of directors for the San Francisco Botanical Society, the nonprofit that has co-managed the 55-acre Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park since 1955 through a unique public-private partnership with the city and county of San Francisco. The group also co-manages the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States.

1977

Warren C. Lovinger Jr., Med '77 (MD), received the 2021–22 Ralph O. Claypoole Sr. Memorial Award from the American College of Physicians in April 2022. The award recognizes a physician who had a long career treating patients in the community while also advancing that community and the medical profession. He retired from Nevada Internal Medicine in Nevada, Missouri, in December 2019. He and his wife, Marilyn, are the parents of four children, three of whom are also physicians.

1982

Selwyn Vickers, A&S '82, Med '86 (MD), '93 (PGF), HS '07, was named president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in September 2022. Vickers is an internationally known pancreatic cancer surgeon and researcher, a pioneer in cancer health disparities research, and an academic medical leader. Previously, he was senior vice president of medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally, he was CEO of both the UAB Health System and the UAB/Ascension St. Vincent's Alliance. Vickers, who continues to see patients and conduct clinical health disparities research, is a board-certified surgeon and is past president of the American Surgical Association. He also is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, and he has served on both the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine boards of trustees.

1983

Greg Sazima, A&S '83, received the Gold Prize in the Mind, Body & Spirit category of the 2021 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for his book Practical Mindfulness: A Physician's No-Nonsense Guide to Meditation for Beginners. Sazima received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and is a psychiatrist in Northern California and senior behavioral faculty at Stanford's Family Medicine Residency program.

1985

Asma Afsaruddin, A&S '85 (MA), '93 (PhD), is the Class of 1950 Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University Bloomington. Her latest book, Jihad: What Everyone Needs to Know, was published by Oxford University Press in March 2022.

Lisa Mensah, SAIS '85 (MA), is president and CEO of the Oregon Community Foundation, which coordinates with donors and volunteers to award grants and scholarships throughout the state. From 2020 to 2021, the organization distributed more than $560 million, supporting more than 4,000 nonprofits and 6,000 students. Mensah, a national expert in economic opportunity and security, previously served as president and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network, one of the nation's leading networks of community development financial institutions. She also served as undersecretary for rural development at the USDA during the Obama administration.

1986

Scott Patrick Burns, A&S '86, partner at Tydings & Rosenberg LLP, was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for his mass tort litigation/class actions and product liability litigation defense practices. Burns has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers since 2012. He is a past president of Blue Jays Unlimited, was selected as one of Baltimore's "Legal Elite" by Smart CEO Magazine in 2009, and was named one of Baltimore's "Top 20 Lawyers: The Next Generation" in 2003 by Baltimore magazine.

1987

Carolyn Meltzer, Med '87 (MD), '92 (PGF), HS '93, was installed as dean of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in April 2022. She was previously chair of the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences; executive associate dean for faculty academic advancement, leadership, and inclusion; and the William P. Timmie Endowed Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

1988

JHU Trustees William H. Miller III and Heather Miller (formerly Heather Hay Murren), A&S '88, married on June 21, 2022. Heather has been a JHU Trustee since 2013 and has been chair of the JHU Applied Physics Lab Board of Managers since 2021. Bill majored in economics and European history at Washington and Lee University, graduating with honors in 1972. He later served as a military intelligence officer overseas and studied at Johns Hopkins before turning to his career in investments. Please join the JHU family in congratulating Bill and Heather!

1990

Melissa Perry, BSPH '90 (MHS), '93 (ScD), is dean of the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University. She recently completed a one-year Fulbright fellowship and United Nations Development Programme assignment in Albania, where she focused on public health capacity building with a particular emphasis on COVID-19 prevention.

Curtis Ruegg, Med '90 (PhD), is chief development officer and COO of NaNotics LLC, a nanomedical company focused on developing and commercializing a novel subtractive nanoparticle platform for treating disease by capturing and clearing pathogenic molecules from blood. Previously, Ruegg was CEO of Amphivena Therapeutics and CEO of Parvus Therapeutics.

1991

Charlene Douglas, BSPH '91 (MPH), '92 (PhD), is associate professor in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University.

1993

Sherry Hartnett, Bus '93 (MS), a marketing and leadership professor, consultant, and mentor at the University of West Florida, recently authored High-Impact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People's Lives. At the university, she founded the experiential learning Executive Mentor Program and continues to serve as its director. She also is the founding chairperson of the Women in Leadership Conference and is principal consultant/owner of Hartnett Academy and Hartnett Marketing Solutions. She holds a doctorate in business administration from Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

1995

Richard Costella, Bus '95 (MS), partner at Tydings & Rosenberg LLP, was recognized by Chambers and Partners in its 2022 edition of Chambers USA for his work in bankruptcy and restructuring. He also was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for his bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights, insolvency and reorganization law, and bankruptcy litigation. Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services appointed Costella to its board of directors in 2020, and he also serves as chair of its fundraising committee.

1998

Olapeju Simoyan, BSPH '98 (MPH), is executive director of research at Caron Treatment Centers, a provider of addiction and substance abuse treatment, and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Drexel University College of Medicine. She recently received the Humanism in Medicine medal from the Arnold Gold Foundation.

2000

Jeri Wohlberg, Nurs '00, received the 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence for Vermont.

2002

Juanita Ashby-Bey, Ed '02 (MS), founded Equity Consultation Designs, a firm that supports education leaders in creating equitable and inclusive educational environments for all students, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Christopher Moylan, A&S '02 (MS), received a Master of Laws degree in comparative and international tax law from Uppsala University in Sweden in June 2022.

2003

Kelsey Brodsho Lawson, A&S '03, is senior vice president and chief safety and risk officer at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, one of the nation's oldest and largest providers of behavioral health care. Lawson is responsible for client safety, risk management, and quality improvement activities at locations in 13 states. She earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and a master's degree in health services research, policy, and administration from the University of Minnesota Graduate School of Public Health.

Pete J. Leibman, A&S '03, is principal of Calibre One, an executive search firm. Based in Washington, D.C., he is responsible for expanding the company's consumer digital, health, and wellness practices. Before joining Calibre One, Leibman founded Stronger Talent, an executive search and consulting firm. He also is the author of Work Stronger: Habits for More Energy, Less Stress, and Higher Performance at Work.

Jill Rafson, A&S '03, is producing artistic director of Classic Stage Company, an off-Broadway theater in New York City with a mission to redefine classic plays and musicals for contemporary audiences.

James K. Richardson, Peab '03 (MM), earned his doctorate from James Madison University in December 2021. His dissertation dealt with the discovery of missing song manuscripts by British composer Armstrong Gibbs (1889–1960) and involved extensive research at the Britten-Pears Archive in Suffolk, England. His dissertation received the Outstanding Dissertation Award of 2021–22 and is the subject of a recent article in Brio Music Journal (UK and Ireland).

2005

Joseph Selba, A&S '05, partner at Tydings & Rosenberg LLP, was recognized by Chambers and Partners in its 2022 edition of Chambers USA for his work in bankruptcy and restructuring.

Joycelyn Tate, SAIS '05 (Cert), was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission's Communications Equity and Diversity Council. Her role on the CEDC is to recommend ways to advance equity and diversity in access to digital services and products, remove regulatory barriers to broadband infrastructure investment and development, and increase the entry of small, women- and minority-owned businesses into the media and digital technology industries.

2006

Jessica Gipson, BSPH '06 (PhD), '07 (PGF), is director of the Bixby Center on Population and Reproductive Health and holds the Fred H. Bixby Chair in Population and Reproductive Health Science at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She was previously a professor in the Fielding School's Department of Community Health Science. Gipson was the Ellertson Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bloomberg School of Public Health from 2006 to 2008.

Amanda Leese, A&S '06, became a partner in the business law practice group at Quarles & Brady LLP in June 2022. In this role, she advises private companies and sponsors in the formation and management of investment vehicles, in addition to handling an array of strategic transactions. Before beginning private practice, Leese was a special assistant for policy and projects in the office of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and a supply chain analyst for the Clinton Health Access Initiative with the Clinton Foundation.

2009

Pramode Chiruvolu, Engr '09, was promoted to counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in May 2022. He also was named one of Law 360's Rising Stars, which recognizes top legal talent under the age of 40. He and his wife, Anne Mumford Chiruvolu, A&S '10, live in the San Francisco Bay area with their two children.

Star Hy, Bus '09 (MBA), a special agent for the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), received the 2022 Women in Federal Law Enforcement Julia Y. Cross Award for her role in the August 2021 drawdown of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and for assisting with subsequent humanitarian operations. She helped secure the U.S. Embassy and safely evacuate more than 1,400 U.S. government personnel, family members, contractors, and third-country nationals to the Hamid Karzai International Airport. At the airport, Hy "heroically provided security amid flash grenades, tear gas, and machine-gun fire while U.S. and Afghan military forces struggled to control volatile crowds at the gate." Hy was the only female U.S. law enforcement officer supporting the evacuation and humanitarian operations.

2010

Anne Mumford Chiruvolu, A&S '10, graduated with honors from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2022. She practices companion animal medicine in the San Francisco Bay area, where she lives with her husband, Pramode Chiruvolu, Engr '09, and their two children.

2011

Jacob P. Runestad, Peab '11 (MM), '12 (MM), earned a 2022 Emmy Award nomination in the musical composition category for Earth Symphony, a 35-minute work for chorus and orchestra first commissioned and performed by Arizona-based True Concord Voices & Orchestra. Earth Symphony was aired by Arizona PBS for a TV special titled From the Edge to Hope. Runestad's The Hope of Loving, an album devoted to his choral music by Austin-based choir Conspirare earned a 2020 Grammy Award nomination.

2012

Carolyn Summer, Nurs '12, '15 (MS), received a 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence for Washington, D.C. 2013

Mario Nelson, A&S '13, BSPH '15 (MHS), is chief growth officer for ProMD Health, a health care firm which specializes in noninvasive and anti-aging techniques at its five locations. Nelson, who has an extensive history in startups, business development, and health care, was senior manager at Cold Start, CEO and co-founder of Micro Audio Inc., and a senior consultant at Deloitte.

2014

Edward J. Gerety III, Bus '14 (MBA), earned his doctorate in business administration from Drexel University in May 2022.

2015

Jessica Altshuler Joyner, A&S '15 (MA), married Eric Joyner in 2016. They welcomed daughter Olivia in 2020. Joyner accompanies her spouse in diplomatic service for the U.S. Department of State at the American Embassy in Tokyo.

Ema Mada Ndi, Nurs '15 (Cert), owner of More About You Inc., which provides psychiatric, mental health, and empowerment services, received a 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence for Delaware.

2016 Bradley Kuo, Nurs '16 (Cert), president, CEO, and provider at Wellness Partners Hawaii Inc., received a 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Hawaii.

Spencer Twigg, Bus '16 (MS), became administrator for the departments of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Ophthalmology, and the Perioperative Evaluation Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Florida in November 2021.

2017

Laura Joy Fleming, A&S '17 (Cert), was promoted to director of development for Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services. The agency serves children and families in need in Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas by providing foster care, adoption, and family preservation services.

Nikki Jarquin, Ed '17 (EdD), was named Montgomery County, Maryland, Public High School Counselor of the Year for 2021–22. She is a resource counselor at Gaithersburg High School and co-founder of Poder Educators, which works with Hispanic/Latinx educators to promote leadership, advocacy, recruitment, and retention.

2019

Timian Dine Godfrey, Nurs '19 (DNP), clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing, received a 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence for Arizona.

Andrew J. Smith, Ed '19 (EdD), became assistant state superintendent in the Office of Innovation at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in June 2022.

2021

Megan Bontrager, A&S '21 (MA), announced that her debut novel, Eye of the Ouroboros, will be published by Quill & Crow Publishing in spring 2024. In addition to the printed version, it will be available in e-book and audiobook formats.

Berol Dewdney, Ed '21 (MS), a pre-K educator and team lead at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School, was named Baltimore City's 2022 Teacher of the Year.

2022

Michael Caputo, A&S '22 (MS), was promoted to senior program manager for the digital supply chain at US Foods in June 2022.