Alumni Class Notes

List of 30 items.

• 1991

  David B. Holt
  dholty5@gmail.com
  
  Mike Robert ‘91 is living the dream, traveling on his 40 ft. sailboat with his wife and two children. Their permanent home is in Denver, CO, where Mike maintains the headquarters for his production company De Ja Vu Media, Inc.. He is a producer and market consultant for production and advertising campaigns, directing commercials, corporate videos, motion pictures and documentaries. Among his awards are 21 Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 4 North American Promax Awards, multiple Colorado Broadcasters Awards, a New York Festival World Bronze Medal and a Virginia Broadcasters Award. Read his blog about his latest travels with his family at openhandssailing.blogspot.com and catch a recent TV interview with Mike’s children about their brush with Tropical Storm Bertha aboard their boat.

• 1992

  Allison Parks Hale
  allisonphale@gmail.com

• 1993

  Mary Beth Anderson Sherwin
  mesherwin@kaufcan.com
  
  EPIDEMIC is a weekly podcast that premiered in March, hosted by Dr. Celine Gounder ’93, about the Coronavirus. The podcast helps explain the latest science, the bigger context and brings diverse angles- from history and anthropology to politics and economics. It also touches on how we can take care of ourselves, our families and our communities. She also encourages people to tweet their questions to her @celinegounder on Twitter and she’ll answer a few on the show each week. Celine is an infectious disease specialist who has worked on tuberculosis and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, and was an Ebola worker during the West African epidemic.

• 1994

  Petra Buzzell 
  Petra.Schmidt@ferguson.com

  
  In May 2020, Bryan Doerries ‘94 premiered Theater of War Productions’ most recent initiative, The Oedipus Project, which presented dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King on Zoom as a catalyst for powerful, guided conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals, families, and communities. When Oedipus the King was first performed, in 429 BC, the audience would have been recovering from a plague that killed nearly one-third of the Athenian population. Seen through this lens, the play might be as relevant now as it was in its own time.

• 1995

  Kate Wassum Whitehead
  kwassum@mindspring.com

• 1996

  Katherine M. Wheeler
  kate_wheeler@mac.com
  
  Nicole Lamberson ‘96 is a Physician Assistant in Virginia, serving on the Medical Advisory Board for Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (benzoinfo.com), a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate about the potential adverse effects of benzodiazepines taken as prescribed. Nicole joined the outreach team of the documentary, Medicating Normal, where she helps to facilitate worldwide community screenings. The film reveals the untold story of the potentially disastrous consequences that can occur when for-profit medicine intersects with human beings in distress. It is currently premiering in film festivals. The trailer and website can be seen at www.medicatingnormal.com.

• 1997

  Holli A. Kubicki
  hollikubicki@hotmail.com

• 1998

  Tasha Young Rose
  tasha.rose19@gmail.com
  
  William D. Francavilla
  wdfrancavilla@gmail.com
  
  Earlier this year, Bill Francavilla ‘98, who is currently the Pastor at Relevant Church in Williamsburg, was asked to open up a session of the Virginia General Assembly in prayer. Pictured are Bill and his wife, Jessica.

• 1999

  Stacey Chin Lake
  chin_stacey@yahoo.com
  
  Lauren Blankenship Adams ’99 and Thomas “Timmy” Adams ’03 are excited to announce the birth of their daughter Charlotte Conway Adams, who is now 9 months old. They also have 2 twin girls, Peyton Wilson Adams and Hunter Lee Adams, who turned 2 in April. Tim works as a Project Manager for CST Mechanical and Lauren left her career in Finance at Smithfield Foods, to be a stay at home Mom and they currently live in Newport News, VA.
  
  Bryant Nichols ‘99 and his wife, Amy, had their third son, Hunter Pemberton Nichols. They live in McLean, VA.

• 2000

  Courtney Tanner
  courtney.tanner@gmail.com
  
  Will Allaun
  wallaun@gmail.com 
  
  During the HRA Class of 2020 Graduation, Matt Jackson ‘00 returned to campus to award student-athlete Jada Buckhanon ‘20 a $1,000 scholarship as she heads to North Carolina Central University with an interest in Forensic Science for college.

• 2001

  William G. Ligon 
  greyligon@gmail.com

• 2002

  Gray Bowditch
  gray@taylor.construction
  
  Aaron O’Brien
  aaron@obrienltd.com
  
  David Deeley ‘02 and his wife, Meg, welcomed their son Thomas Edward on February 8, 2020. Thomas’s proud grandmother is HRA’s own Science teacher, Becky Deeley. All of the family, including big sister Libby, are so happy he’s here. 
  
  Leticia Foster ‘02 has been named to the STANDOUT Class of 2020 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The award recognizes active and engaged Charlotte, NC area young professionals and philanthropists who exemplify leadership qualities, excel in their industry, and most importantly, dedicate their time and energy to the Charlotte community. Leticia, along with her peers in the Class of 2020, will be recognized during a virtual celebration in October. To learn more about STANDOUT or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visit https://finest.cff.org/standout.
  
  Sarah Dumas Locke ‘02 and her husband welcomed their son, Oliver Webster, into their family in July 2019 and on February 26th, they officially adopted their daughter Emma Katherine from Foster care. They now have 5 children; Jed (9), Charlie (7), Eliza Jane (4), Emma Kate (4), and Oliver (1). Sarah is an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and serves as the Pastor at Hickory UMC, in Chesapeake, VA.

• 2003

  Cary Mitchell
  carymitchell@mac.com
  Leigh-Taylor Smith Sigfusson
  leightaylorsmith@gmail.com
  
  Emily Goodson ‘03 is the Founder & CEO of the new client-focused, culture-shaping consulting company CultureSmart, based in Santa Monica, California.
  
  Megan O’Reilly ‘03 married Dr. Ryan Capps on May 25, 2019 in Norfolk, VA. In attendance were: Christine and Chris Behm ‘04, Emily and Will Halliday ‘03, Megan and Ryan Capps, Dr. Will Gillen ‘04, Will and Concetta Wilson Smith ‘05.

• 2004

  Adam Garrett
  adam.b.garrett@gmail.com
  Kyle L. Webb 
  kwebb10@gmail.com
  
  Kira Young Jackson ‘04 and husband, Asa Jackson ‘07, welcomed their second child, Osiris Young Williams Jackson, on May 14, 2020.

• 2005

  Andrew Hamer
  hamer86d@gmail.com
  Diane E. West
  dianewest87@gmail.com
  
  Andy Churray ‘05 and his wife, Meg, live in Wichita, KS with their 4 children (Rosie 7, Dottie 5, Frankie 3, and John 1). In February, Andy became the new Wichita administrator for Vagabond Missions, a nonprofit which seeks to break the cycle of neglect, violence, and broken families often faced by inner-city teens.
  
  Concetta Wilson Smith ‘05 and her husband welcomed their first child, Caroline Conway Smith, on November 2, 2019. Their family lives in Nashville, TN.

• 2006

  Raymond S. Herbert
  scott.06@cox.net
  Will Ouzts
  wouzts@scottstringfellow.com

• 2007

  Brigham Wall Kaiser
  brighamlwall@gmail.com
  
  Lindsay Ferguson ‘07 and James Abbott ‘08 were married by current Head of Lower School and HRA alumna Susanne Dawson Swain ‘78 on October 11, 2019 at the King Family Vineyard in Crozet, VA. Lindsay, the daughter of William “Trip” Ferguson III ‘67, is a licensed veterinarian technician at VCA/Todd’s Lane Clinic. James is an instructor for the James River Association.
  
  The Virginian-Pilot came out with their Inside Business’s “2019 Top 40 under 40” list and local artist Asa Jackson ‘07 was one featured. He is the president and co-founder of the Contemporary Arts Network, which hopes to empower artists, patrons and the community at large through the arts and recently opened an arts center. Asa’s also currently an appointed commissioner with the Virginia Commission for the Arts, serves on the board of The Peninsula Fine Arts Center and recently served on the Education and Planning Committee at the Hermitage Museum and the Newport News Arts Commission.

• 2008

  Robert D. Abbott
  rda4zf@virginia.edu 
  
  Jocelyn Spencer ‘08 is excited to be returning to HRA to teach Middle School English. She’s been working in public education as an educator and instructional leader for the last 7 years and will be joining the HRA faculty in the Fall.

• 2009

  Megan Gretka
  mgretka13@gmail.com
  Mario Buffa
  mbuffa88@gmail.com
  
  Courtney Killough Bugas ‘09 and her husband welcomed their son Landon Theodore Bugas in June 2020 in California.
  
  Megan Gretka ‘09 and Juan Pablo Duran were married on June 27, 2020. In attendance was the proud mother of the bride Sherri Lascola Gretka ‘81, Megan’s brother Wyatt Gretka ‘16 was a groomsman, and Kelsey Witt ‘09 was her Maid of Honor. The pandemic caused a last minute wedding relocation from Christopher Newport University’s Pope Chapel and Grand Ballroom to the beautiful backyard of her parent’s home. Megan and Juan reside in Ashburn, Virginia where they are both Doctors of Physical Therapy and Clinical Directors for the Jackson Clinics. 
  
  Although their original wedding was postponed to 2021, Donovan Tyson ‘09 and Ariel Simone Brown tied the knot on June 20, 2020 at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C with Best Man, Bruno, their 1 year old Chocolate Lab, by their side. At the start of quarantine, Donovan realized that his purpose was to be an entrepreneur and to serve others. He wanted to build communities in every way, mentally, physically and financially, and he’s starting by becoming a Licensed Real Estate Agent. To follow along his journey and his story, visit donjtyson.com.
  
  Nora Blalock White ‘09 received her Masters in Public Policy in May from George Washington University. She is currently serving as Congressman David Price’s (NC-04) Legislative Director in his Washington, D.C. office and she credits her degree in helping her earn the promotion in June.

• 2010

  Marshall Jordan
  emarshalljordan@gmail.com 
  
  After graduating from Eastern Virginia Medical School in May 2020, Priya Vyas ‘10 will be starting the next part of her training to become a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

• 2011

  Nicole Rento
  nmrento@gmail.com

• 2012

  Jack Geddy
  jack.geddy@gmail.com 
  
  Catherine Goodson Palomino ‘12 and her husband, Daniel, welcomed their daughter Isabella Carolina Palomino on October 12, 2019 at Riverside Hospital in Newport News. 
  
  Matthew Rivera ‘12 has debuted a new podcast called Loud 24/7. It’s a trio of LOUD people discussing current events, curious topics, and listener’s choices. They invite you to come be LOUD with them on weekly episodes! The first official episode came out on April 24 and there are new episodes every Friday morning. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout.
  
  Erica Smith ‘12 is excited to announce that after graduating from medical school at Saint Louis University School of Medicine this year, she matched at UC Davis in Psychiatry. She is thrilled to join a community of individuals passionate about the mental health field. Erica looks forward to addressing health inequities and social determinants of health and will continue her ongoing research interests in public health and social justice.
  
  William Steinberger ‘12, a Ph.D. student in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan, has been awarded a Second Place prize in the Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Technology R&D. His award-winning research paper, Imaging Special Nuclear Material using a Handheld Dual Particle Imager, was published in the journal Scientific Reports in February 2020.

• 2013

  Allen Jones
  allenrjones3@gmail.com
  Taylor Ferebee
  taylorferebee@gmail.com
  
  Mahari Chabwera ‘13 is an artist living and working between Newport News and Richmond, Virginia. She received her B.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking from VCU in 2017, and shortly after began practicing creative sustainability, culture cultivation, curation, and communion. She’s the 2019-2020 recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship, and the 2020 recipient of the Visual Arts Center Emerging Artist Award. She religiously reads Black Women writers like Octavia Butler, Audre Lorde, & Ntozake Shange. Along with her other art pieces and murals, she has been collaborating with Asa Jackson ‘07 for The Contemporary Arts Network center. 
  
  In Fall 2019, Nicholas Denninger ‘13 moved to New York and accepted the Institutional Support Associate position at the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. He is assisting with grant writing efforts and stewarding corporate, foundation, and government donors.
  
  After graduating from Hunter College for psychology and film, Rebecca Schell ’13 started to get into acting in NYC. She began working as the background on tv shows like The Marvelous Mrs.
  Maisel, Instinct, The Code, Quantico, and more. She’s even able to say that she got to sit behind Kevin Bacon during a dinner scene on his new show City on a Hill. She then signed with EMG Models modeling agency and started modeling work. In January, she was featured on Season 18; Episode 4: The Ultimate Upcycle of Project Runway, the hit reality television series that focuses on fashion design. Rebecca was chosen to model by Karlie Kloss, who is a fashion model, entrepreneur and judge on the show. 
  
  In October 2019, The University of Denver women’s tennis team named program alumnae Maureen Slattery ‘13 Interim Assistant Coach while Head Coach Christian Bass was on maternity leave. Maureen graduated from Denver in 2017 with a degree in Economics. She spent the last two seasons as an Assistant Coach at Christopher Newport University in Newport News where she helped guide the team to a combined 26-14 mark.
  
  Lucy Smith ‘13 graduated with her Master of Public Policy Degree from the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School for Leadership and Public Policy in May 2020.
  
  DaShonte’ Temoney ‘13 received her Masters of Arts in Law with a Concentration in Mediation from Regent University in May 2020.

• 2014

  Christian Burnett
  crisco8792@gmail.com
  
  Rachel Braig
  rkbraig@gmail.com
  
  Although she was studying Media and Psychology at the University of Virginia, Rachel Braig ‘14 knew that she always had a love for music. After composing a piano ballad out of her dorm and catching musical attention, an early graduation prompted a move to Nashville to begin songwriting full-time alongside some of pop’s most promising artists. In 2019, Rachel, known by her artistic alias Essy, began releasing her solo material, racking up over 4 million streams and 75,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Her musical style can be described as “synth pop” and she’s recently been focusing on finding a voice for young women. Essy’s first EP “Second Thoughts” dropped in May 2020 and is available on all streaming platforms, while her second EP is to follow later in the year. Rachel resides in Nashville but spends time in Los Angeles as well.
  
  On August 29, 2020, Dana Lyon ‘14 married Kyle Deivert at the Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg, VA. HRA alumni in attendance were Grace Bowen ‘14, Anne Waverly “Wave” Spencer ‘14, Ellie Ferguson ‘14, and Marshall Bagley ‘12. 
  
  In early December 2019, Patricia Zarate ‘14 set off to Guinea, Africa for the next 27 months with the Peace Corps. She’s a Public Health educator with a focus on malaria prevention, maternal care, and sustainability.

• 2015

  Courtney Montgomery
  caam71697@gmail.com 
  
  Tyler Jones
  222tjones@gmail.com 
  
  In mid June 2020, Jeff Stout ‘15 married Erin Forgit in an intimate ceremony in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. In attendance were his brother, David Stout ‘20, and father, John Stout ‘82. Jeff is now living in Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles, California for his new position as Associate Engineer in Manufacturing with SpaceX.

• 2016

  Troy Clark
  troythomasclark@gmail.com
  Meghan Lee
  meghan.k.lee98@gmail.com
  
  Wyatt Gretka ‘16 graduated from Christopher Newport University on May 9, 2020 with a degree in Political Science. He is currently pursuing a life-long dream of becoming a professional chef and is currently attending the Culinary Institute of Virginia working on a professional degree in the Culinary Arts. Future goals include opening his own restaurant and sharing his passion for great food with others. 
  
  In late 2019, Scott Jones ‘16, a senior football player at Duke University, celebrated Senior Day on the field with his family. (From left to right) Gail Jones, Former Trustee Allen Jones Jr., Scott Jones ‘16, Allen Jones III ‘13, Lauren Jones ‘19 and Lindsey Jones ‘19.
  
  After graduating Magna Cum Laude as an Integrated Science and Technology Major with a double concentration in Energy and Environment from James Madison University in 2020, Kayla Rutherford ‘16 can now add published author to her resume. Her first book in a trilogy, Blood of Power, is a young adult science fiction novel about a young girl and a tragic fate. The second book is on its way as well as an audio version of the first book. For more information regarding Kayla’s book and signing dates, you can find her on Facebook or Instagram at kayla_rutherford06.

• 2017

  Carter Gilmore
  carterg199@gmail.com

• 2018

  Eryn Gaffney
  eeg2bd@virginia.edu 
  
  Weezie Campbell
  weezie.mlc@gmail.com 

• 2019

  Gracie Campbell
  gcc.gracie@gmail.com
  
  Layne Bartol
  funkygirl11@verizon.net 
  
  Carey Hutchens
  careyhutchens@gmail.com 

• 2020

  Reilly David 
  rad1024@icloud.com 
  
  Olivia Ferrare
  oferrare@verizon.net