Class Notes: Winter 2023

Jayhawks: Fill out a Class Note to tell us what you’re up to!

1957

Robert Boyd, e’57, is retired from teaching at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

1963

Sandy Plaskett Gifford, d’63, concluded 40 years working as a legal professional for U.S. and international law firms. She and her husband, John, live in Mountain View, California.

1965

Bryan Shewmake, c’65, e’70, g’71, a U.S. Navy veteran, and his wife, Cheryl, in October attended a reunion in San Antonio for Navy officers who served on the USS Bennington during the Vietnam War. They live in Blairsden, California, and have traveled to 115 countries.

1967

Chuck Warner, b’67, l’70, wrote two essays that were recently featured in the literary publications 105 Meadowlark Reader and The Write Bridge. He lives in Lawrence and is on the KU Biodiversity Institute’s Board of Advisors.

1970

Dan Westphal, m’70, is a pulmonologist and a reviewing medical director for Humana. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

1972

Roger Davis, b’72, recently retired as owner and CEO of Paxton/Patterson, an education technology company. He and his wife, Julie, live in Montecito, California.

Tom Slaughter, j’72, is executive director of the Inland Press Foundation and a former Associated Press reporter and executive. He and his wife, Pam, live in Lawrence.

1973

Michael Lacy, c’73, g’78, g’79, PhD’81, is emeritus associate professor in the sociology department at Colorado State University, where he taught for over 30 years.

1974

James Doepke, d’74, a trumpeter, played the national anthem and alma mater at the Baylor vs. KU basketball game Feb. 18, his 10th performance at Allen Field House.

1975

Paul Jungnickel, g’75, retired from Auburn University, where he was a professor and senior associate dean in the college of pharmacy.

Keith Lieppman, j’75, retired in November after 52 years with the Oakland Athletics, including 28 years as the team’s director of player development and, most recently, three years as special adviser. He was inducted into the A’s hall of fame in August.

Chitra Muliyil Walker, g’75, is retired from a career in health care and is a board member for the Healthy Lakewood Foundation in Lakewood, Ohio.

Wint Winter Jr., c’75, l’78, a partner at Stevens & Brand law firm, is a 2023 inductee to the Lawrence Business Hall of Fame. Wint is a former state senator and current member of the Kansas Board of Regents.

1976

Ken Stone, j’76, contributing editor to the Times of San Diego, in October won nine Excellence in Journalism awards from the San Diego Press Club. He and his wife, Chris, live in La Mesa, California.

1977

Paul Coakley, c’77, is archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

Barry Wells, c’77, m’83, leads business development at American Gene Technologies in Rockville, Maryland.

1978

Rosemary O’Leary, c’78, l’81, g’82, retired from KU in August as the Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Administration.

1979

Ralph Munyan II, c’79, g’84, practices business law in Kansas City and in October was appointed to the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners.

Mark Prochaska, c’79, m’84, retired in October after 34 years as a psychiatrist in private practice in the Kansas City area.

Jay Smith, e’79, g’81, was promoted to president and chief operating officer at Fischer Homes, a building company based in northern Kentucky.

1980

Lynette Rapp Hosek, d’80, g’07, teaches English as a second language in the Topeka school district.

Dennis Karns, e’80, g’94, retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after 43 years of service. He and his wife, Dorothy, live in Keller, Texas.

1981

Matthew Keenan, c’81, l’84, in January became executive director of Kansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm. He and his wife, Lori Hickman Keenan, f’83, live in Kansas City, where Matthew is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon.

Fred Osborn, c’81, works at Guaranty Bank as senior vice president and commercial banking manager for the Joplin, Missouri, region.

Lynette Woodard, c’81, in December was named special adviser to the Harlem Globetrotters. She played on the KU women’s basketball team from 1978 to 1981, and in 1985 became the first woman to join the Globetrotters.

1982

Peggy Eland, d’82, retired after 40 years as a high school English, speech and journalism teacher. She taught in Grinnell, Hoxie and Valley Falls.

Joe Hodnik, c’82, d’84, g’90, retired as a social studies teacher at Olathe East High School. He taught in the Olathe school district for 38 years.

Steven Perry, d’82, is a writer and retired high school English teacher. He and his wife, Aurora Mendoza Perry, c’82, live in Beaumont, California.

1983

Mike Atkins, e’83, g’89, retired as CEO of Open Technology Solutions in Centennial, Colorado. He led the company for 18 years.

1984

Phillip Clampitt, PhD’84, is the endowed chair in communication at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and co-authored the new book Leading with Care in a Tough World.

Richard Macias, l’84, is a district court judge in Sedgwick County.

Marcy Stonefield Nemeth, c’84, works at Archer Integrated Risk Management in Overland Park, where she is a professional services advisory consultant.

Jeanny Jackson Sharp, j’84, manages marketing and community development at Silver Lake Bank in Topeka.

Jeffrey Sheridan, j’84, is a criminal justice attorney with the law firm Sheridan, Dulas & Hunstad in Eagan, Minnesota.

1985

Debra Diehl, j’85, is an executive assistant at McDaniel Knutson Financial Partners in Lawrence.

Sherri Enright, c’85, is senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Jennifer McLeod Kassebaum, j’85, l’89, owns Flint Hills Books in Council Grove, located in the town’s historic National Bank building.

Janice Sterling, c’85, g’97, retired as a geographic systems analyst for the U.S. Army Environmental Command. She worked for the federal government for 20 years.

Michelle Worrall Tilton, j’85, l’88, is assistant vice president and cyber product specialist at Zurich North America.

1986

John Egan, j’86, wrote The Stripped-Down Guide to Content Marketing: Success Secrets for Beginners. He lives in Austin, Texas, and is a freelance writer and content marketing strategist.

David O’Brien, j’86, Atlanta Braves beat writer for The Athletic, was named Georgia Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. A past president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, David has covered Major League Baseball for 29 years. He lives in Atlanta.

Rob Simari, m’86, executive vice chancellor and professor of cardiology at KU Medical Center, wrote the book A Prescription to Lead: How Medical Training Prepares America’s Physician Leaders, published in November. In January, he received the Chairman’s Award from the Sedgwick County Commission for his work on the forthcoming Wichita Biomedical Campus, a collaboration between KU and Wichita State University.

Brian Wagner, c’86, retired as a fisheries biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, where he worked for over 30 years. He and his wife, Diane, live near Little Rock.

Paul Winslow, f’86, is a partner and alliance manager at Presidio Government Solutions in Reston, Virginia, which provides IT services to the federal government.

1987

Lance Luther, b’87, is a senior managing director at Accenture and leads the company’s technology business for the southern U.S. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Atlanta.

JuliAnn Mazachek, g’87, PhD’94, in January was named president of Washburn University in Topeka.

1988

John Dolusic, c’88, is the meteorologist at WTVA 9 News in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Chris Hernandez, j’88, works for the city of Kansas City, Missouri, as a liaison officer in the civil rights and equal opportunity department.

Elizabeth Schartz, l’88, a partner at Holland & Knight law firm, is a member of the newly formed Big 12 Conference business advisory board. She lives in Dallas.

Marla Svoboda, s’88, is chief development officer for the Rose Brooks Center, a domestic violence shelter in Kansas City.

1989

Tony Balandran, j’89, is editor of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin in Walla Walla, Washington.

1990

Joe Crane, c’90, is a pilot for Delta Airlines and hosts the podcast “Veteran on the Move.” He is a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and lives in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Brian Gower, e’90, retired in December as chief of the traffic engineering bureau at the Kansas Department of Transportation, where he worked for 30 years.

Eric Montgomery, j’90, chief of staff for former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, received the 2022 Senior Staff of the Year Award from the National Association of Attorneys General.

1991

Matthew Coleman, d’91, g’95, in December was named vice president of annuity and life product innovation at AmeriLife.

Jyll Standiford Kafer, c’91, retired as director of alumni engagement at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

Jon Mohatt, b’91, g’97, is a real estate consultant in Kalispell, Montana.

Ashley Sherard, c’91, c’91, l’94, in November became CEO of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas Thompson, c’91, g’93, is senior economist at the marketing agency Havas Edge in Dallas.

Andrew Wroblewski, d’91, in October was named deputy assistant secretary and assistant director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. He has worked for the State Department since 1998.

1992

John Allen Jr., g’92, lives in Rome, where he reports on the Vatican for the website Crux. He is senior Vatican analyst for CNN and author of 11 books on the Catholic Church.

Howard Hendrickson, g’92, is a professor in the school of pharmacy at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

Julia Mathias Manglitz, e’92, g’99, was named to the Association for Preservation Technology International’s 2022 class of Recognized Professionals for her work as a preservation architect. She is associate principal at the architecture firm TreanorHL in Lawrence.

Mike Nicco, c’92, is chief meteorologist at KSHB 41 News in Kansas City.

Robert Wilson, m’92, practices family medicine at Island Primary Care on Orcas Island in Washington.

1993

Kris Belden-Adams, j’93, is associate professor of art history at the University of Mississippi.

Chris Lewis, c’93, is a general surgeon at Olathe Health in Paola.

Taylor McCammon, c’93, is a senior HR project manager at AMN Healthcare. He and his wife, Joy, live in Beaverton, Oregon.

1994

Mallika Edwards, c’94, is chief product officer at XSOLIS, a health care technology company. She lives in Kansas City.

David Johnston, j’94, g’06, in November became associate vice president for alumni and constituent engagement at Boise State University. He worked at KU for over 20 years, most recently as the Alumni Association’s senior vice president of strategic communications.

Allison Lippert, j’94, is a senior instructional designer for Adobe software. She lives in Spanish Fork, Utah.

Marlene Dearinger Neill, j’94, was honored by the Public Relations Society of America with its 2022 Outstanding Educator Award. She is an associate professor and the graduate program director in the department of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor University.

1995

Rina Bansal, c’95, c’95, is a physician and president of Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.

Darrell Stein, e’95, in January was named chief operations officer at Lenexa-based Henderson Engineers and Henderson Building Solutions.

David Winans, EdD’95, is vice president of the Central Michigan Alumni Association of Sigma Chi. He and his wife, Cas, live in Charleston, South Carolina.

1996

David Alcindor, a’96, m’01, is a physician at South Lincoln Hospital District in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

David Deeds, g’96, is president of JSA Development, a property management firm in Waterloo, Iowa, and teaches accounting at the University of Northern Iowa.

Laura Miser, l’96, in October was appointed Lyon County District Court judge by Gov. Laura Kelly. She is the first woman to serve as a judge in the county.

Andrea Rupp, b’96, is executive vice president of human resources at Hudson Pacific Properties.

Karyn Ullman, c’96, is chief philanthropy officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.

1997

Susanna Loof, c’97, j’97, lives in the Netherlands, where she manages the communication office at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

Catherine Ousselin, c’97, g’01, teaches French at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, Washington, and is on the board of directors of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Athena Thrift Pfeifer, b’97, is a senior buyer at Garmin. She and her husband, Daniel, ’00, live in Olathe.

Jennifer Jackson Schoning, c’97, lives in Wichita, where she is an instructor at Club Pilates.

Jacque Vaughn, b’97, in November was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. He was a guard on the KU men’s basketball team from 1993 to 1997.

1998

Kris Hargis, f’98, an artist, recently exhibited a collection of mixed-media drawings, “There Are No Roads Here,” at Froelick Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

Paul Melton, c’98, is associate professor of art market studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

1999

Jean Moore Block, l’99, is chief legal officer at the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Mike Harrity, j’99, g’02, is athletics director at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He and his wife, Megan, have two daughters, Evelyn and Grace.

Jessica Barr Marin, c’99, in December was named chief operating officer at Research Medical Center in Kansas City.

Brent Terstriep, e’99, is district engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation in Salina.

Melanie Kopf Whittenburg, f’99, is an agent with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors in Edmond, Oklahoma.

2000

Scott Dulitz, g’00, is CEO of TrialCard, a technology company serving the pharmaceutical industry. He lives in Shawnee.

Jane Irungu, g’00, PhD’10, is vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Utah State University.

Todd Larson, g’00, is planning manager for the city of Ramsey, Minnesota.

Jack Martin, c’00, g’08, in November was named vice president for marketing and communications at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Melissa Pepper, j’00, is vice president of membership at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

Valerie Bauman VanDerSluis, j’00, is general manager and executive director at KTWU/PBS in Topeka. She has worked at the TV station for 20 years.

2001

Travis Abicht, c’01, m’05, is a cardiac surgeon with Providence Health. He and his wife, Elise Schnose Abicht, m’10, live in Missoula, Montana.

Nicolle Farrell Ratliff, j’01, in December was named vice president of development at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

Kevin Saal, g’01, is director of athletics at Wichita State University.

Shannon Stull, c’01, works at Labcorp Drug Development as a principal clinical team lead. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

Ryan Werner, b’01, g’02, is senior vice president and chief accounting officer at Riot Platforms, a bitcoin mining company.

2002

Katherine McClure Coleman, b’02, g’03, is vice president of finance at CCC Intelligent Solutions in Chicago.

Kelly Evans, s’02, is executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor, a housing assistance nonprofit serving Larimer County, Colorado.

Carl Folsom III, c’02, l’05, was sworn in as a Douglas County District Court judge in December.

Jonathan Kaplan, c’02, is battalion chief of operations for Johnson County MED-ACT. He has worked in emergency medical services in the Kansas City area for 17 years.

Dianne Lord Miller, g’02, is city administrator of Eagan, Minnesota, where she lives with her husband, Justin, g’01, and their four daughters.

Chandler Poore, b’02, is director of network operations at Optum, a health services company.

Kim Pulvers, g’02, g’06, PhD’07, is a clinical health psychologist and associate professor of psychology at California State University San Marcos.

Jennifer Rosencrans, c’02, is a medical education program coordinator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

2003

August Heffner, f’03, is executive creative director at Instrument, a branding and design agency. He has worked with Apple, J.Crew, Kate Spade and other prominent brands. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

2004

Angela Loucks Alexander, c’04, g’07, AUD’11, is an audiologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of auditory processing disorder. She lives in Australia.

Brian Berg, a’04, is a senior project manager at HNTB, an infrastructure design firm based in Kansas City.

Robert Carlson, c’04, in October was named chief financial officer at the software company Vantaca.

Jeff Hodges, e’04, works for ADM as manager of its bakery, snacks and confections applications group in Decatur, Illinois.

Katie Macfee, c’04, j’04, g’08, is an analytics consultant at Campfire Analytics. She lives in Overland Park.

James Owen, l’04, is an attorney and executive director of the energy policy group Renew Missouri. He lives in Columbia and is a film columnist for the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Shannon Portillo, c’04, PhD’08, is a professor and director of the school of public affairs at Arizona State University.

Catherine Decena Triplett, b’04, c’05, l’08, in October was appointed Johnson County District Court judge by Gov. Laura Kelly.

2005

Betsy Winetroub Lindsey, c’05, is executive director of Just Like You Films. She and her husband, Seth, b’01, live in Mission Hills with their daughter, Nell.

Michelle Burhenn Malashock, j’05, is a senior director at Target Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she lives with her husband, Ryan, j’03, and their children, Foster and Sylvie.

2006

Jeremy Huls, c’06, a U.S. Navy commander, is a combat systems officer on the PCU John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier.

Michael Stambaugh, j’06, g’08, is associate athletics communications director at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Britta Warren, l’06, lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is managing partner at the law firm Black Helterline.

2007

Mary Showman Carpenter, c’07, is the individual giving officer at the Pi Beta Phi Foundation. She and her husband, Aaron, live in Lawrence.

Alison Gaines, DMA’07, is assistant professor of music and bass at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

John Kostelnick, PhD’07, is professor of geography at Illinois State University and directs its Institute for Geospatial Analysis & Mapping.

Cole McEwen, b’07, m’13, is a general surgeon at Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems in Beloit.

2008

Victor Aguilar, c’08, is language access manager for Kansas City Public Schools.

Nathan Gill, j’08, is a public affairs specialist for the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute.

Hannah Johnson, c’08, j’08, is chief talent officer at Elsewhere Partners, a software investment firm based in Austin, Texas.

Skye Leedahl, g’08, PhD’13, is associate professor of aging and health at the University of Rhode Island.

2009

Kyle Mock, c’09, m’13, is a physician at Integris Health in Oklahoma City.

2010

Lindsay Tippett Beansmith, a’10, is art director for Hallmark Cards’ content and marketing studio. She lives in Kansas City.

Melody Redburn, e’10, a sustainability engineer, is a managing consultant at Ramboll in Denver.

Scott Sturgeon, c’10, is the founder and senior wealth adviser at Oread Wealth Partners. He and his wife, Jenny Guevel Sturgeon, n’13, live in Prairie Village.

2011

Teresa Clounch, EdD’11, is associate vice president of student life and dean of students at Washburn University in Topeka.

Baris Kesgin, PhD’11, is associate professor of political science and policy studies at Elon University in North Carolina.

Maggie Searight Lamborn, c’11, m’17, is a psychiatrist at Blessing Health System in Quincy, Illinois.

Jake Laptad, b’11, g’14, is a finance manager at Euronet Worldwide in Leawood.

Tyler Luke, d’11, is an orthopedic clinical specialist and clinic director at Rocky Mountain Spine & Sport Physical Therapy in Westminster, Colorado.

Matthew Matheis, g’11, in October was named KU’s associate director of emergency management.

Adam Roush, a’11, g’16, co-founder and chief design officer at Bryght Labs in Overland Park, in December appeared on the TV show “Shark Tank,” where the company secured an investment for its product ChessUp, a smart chessboard.

Aric Toler, c’11, g’13, directs research and training for the investigative journalism website Bellingcat. He lives in Kansas City.

Born to:
Matthew, j’11, and Kelsey Smith Thiessen, c’11, son, Caden, Aug. 23. The family lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.

2012

Megan Adams, c’12, joined Spencer Fane law firm in Overland Park as a litigation associate.

Chris Clark, g’12, is principal and Bailey Knott Clark, g’12, is design director at Clarkitecture, the couple’s commercial architecture firm, which has offices in Wichita and Pensacola, Florida.

Michael Fee, j’12, is a global product marketing manager at TikTok. He lives in San Francisco.

Zachary Hettinger, a’12, is assistant project manager at Jack Miller Contractors in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Meshaal Khan, c’12, m’16, is a medical oncologist at Franciscan Health Woodland Cancer Care Center in Michigan City, Indiana.

Nathan Lindsey, l’12, an insurance defense attorney, is a member at the firm Rasmussen Dickey Moore in St. Louis.

Tyson Pankey, g’12, is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Hilary Ferguson Postlethwaite, j’12, is a client retention analyst at Denver7 News.

Eileen Remley, c’12, is a merchandising director for Walmart at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Born to:
Katie Farrington Bolton, b’12, and her husband, Evan, son, Joel, Oct. 2. Katie is director of advancement operations at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.

2013

Ebonie Davis, l’13, joined Lathrop GPM’s real estate and tax credit practice group as counsel in the firm’s Kansas City office. She is immediate past president of the Jackson County Bar Association.

Martha Elford, PhD’13, is an instructor in the department of teaching and learning at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Crystal Cook Leftridge, l’13, is an attorney at the litigation firm Stueve Siegel Hanson in Kansas City.

Ellen Lowery, g’13, is a veterinarian and directs the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Kristi Marks, b’13, g’14, was promoted to senior manager at Deloitte and recently completed a two-year assignment in Helsinki. She lives in San Francisco.

Sam Seaman, c’13, is an associate at the law firm HunterMaclean in Savannah, Georgia. He and Lauren Algarra Seaman, c’14, have two daughters.

Miriam Brack Webber, g’13, PhD’21, is assistant professor of music at Bemidji State University in Minnesota and the principal bassoonist of the Bemidji Symphony and Heartland Symphony orchestras.

Brandon Woodard, c’13, manages philanthropic giving at KC CARE Health Center in Kansas City and represents District 108 in the Kansas House of Representatives.

2014

Dawn Cook, s’14, is a behavioral health social worker for Kansas City Public Schools.

Geoffrey Hulsey, l’14, is a staff attorney at the Washington State Office of Public Defense in Olympia. He and his wife, Flavia, have two children.

Ashleigh Lee, j’14, g’21, is communications coordinator for the School of Business.

Heba Mostafa, PhD’14, directs the molecular virology laboratory at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and is associate professor of pathology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Joseph Sakumura, c’14, AUD’18, is chief science officer at the American Institute of Balance in Largo, Florida. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of balance disorders.

Eman Siddiqui, g’14, is an architect at GSBS Architects in Salt Lake City. She is the founder and president of the Utah chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

Nikki Wentling, j’14, covers technology and innovation for the Denver Business Journal.

2015

Nicole Gilmore, c’15, s’15, is a school social worker with SEK Learning Center in Girard and an adjunct instructor in the School of Social Welfare. She has a handcrafted candle and wax melt business, Peridot & Pearl.

Charla Smith, l’15, is an entertainment and contract law attorney at Wasserman Music in Nashville.

Christine Stanwood, j’15, is a reporter and weekend news anchor at ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix.

Erik Unruh, g’15, m’19, practices family medicine at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Iola.

Born to:
Ian, d’15, and Brie Mingus Simmons, d’16, daughter, Inverness, Jan. 1. The family lives in Overland Park.

2016

Maria Iliakova, m’16, is a bariatric and general surgeon in Iowa City, Iowa.

Swathi Iyer, PhD’16, is a postdoctoral researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Jordan Jerkovich, c’16, b’17, g’22, directs community development for the city of Lindsborg.

Yan Jiang, PhD’16, is a senior associate at Terracon. He leads the engineering firm’s geotechnical department in Savannah, Georgia.

Cristian Lozano, h’16, g’22, in October was named one of the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s “40 Under 40” honorees. He is a principal scientist at Quest Diagnostics in Lenexa.

Tyler Marr, g’16, is deputy city manager of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Abby Petrulis, p’16, g’18, PharmD’18, is a clinical pharmacist at Haskell Indian Health Center in Lawrence.

Danielle Dinkel Spencer, d’16, is a physician assistant at the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute in Hays.

Alex Tharman, c’16, is an optometrist at ViewPointe Vision in Omaha, Nebraska. He and his wife, Karen, have a son, Preston, and daughter, Gracelynn.

Adam Vaughn, d’16, teaches in the Olathe school district.

2017

Nate Crosser, c’17, l’19, is a principal at Blue Horizon, a venture capital firm that invests in the sustainable food industry.

Jazmine Polk, j’17, is an associate attorney at Ahlers & Cooney law firm in Des Moines, Iowa.

Rachel Shannon, l’17, lives in Hutchinson, where she is an attorney at the law firm Martindell Swearer Shaffer Ridenour.

Rabin Valluri, c’17, is a sustainability consultant at Agendi, a climate change advisory firm in New York City.

Born to:
Alyssa Talbott Higgins, d’17, DPT’20, and her husband, Tanner, daughter, Margaret Anne, Sept. 1.

2018

Mattie Carter, c’18, j’18, is a senior sales development representative for Socialive, a video production platform.

Anna Coleman Dagg, m’18, is a family physician with The University of Kansas Health System in Great Bend.

Mimi Mechache Delrahim, c’18, lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she is a regional admissions representative for KU.

Cassie Enriquez, d’18, g’21, is a member services account manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Susanna Geiger, c’18, g’20, is a staff auditor at KU.

Danya Issawi, j’18, is a fashion writer for The Cut.

2019

Abby Berkery, d’19, manages partnership marketing and activation for the Kansas City Current professional women’s soccer team.

Maria Drouhard, l’19, is an associate attorney at Foulston Siefkin law firm in Kansas City.

Az Klymiuk, PhD’19, is an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Yash Modha, c’19, is a financial analyst at BMO Financial Group.

Andrew Sandt, n’19, is a flight nurse for Air Methods emergency medical transportation.

Carter Stanley, c’19, is a financial adviser at UBS Financial Services. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Kaitlin Tennyson, m’19, practices family medicine at Newman Regional Health in Emporia.

Kevin Walker, c’19, is senior vice president of public policy at the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce.

Married:
Kalli Smith, j’19, to Conner Winters, c’19, Oct. 1 in Kansas City. Kalli is a magazine editor at Sunflower Publishing in Lawrence, and Conner is a student in the School of Medicine.

2020

Katey Burke, PhD’20, is an assistant research professor and director of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Cassandra Hall, g’20, is an architectural designer at GREC Architects in Chicago.

Todd Schmidt, PhD’20, a U.S. Army colonel, wrote the book Silent Coup of the Guardians: The Influence of U.S. Military Elites on National Security, published in November.

Ashley Urban, EdD’20, is education program manager for the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence at KU. She and her husband, Joshua, g’21, have two sons, Tyler and Kole.

2021

Brennan Davies, a’21, is an architectural associate at Helix Architecture + Design in Kansas City.

Jordan Emerson, j’21, is marketing and program manager at The Toolbox, a resource center for small businesses in Kansas City.

Trevor Jackson, c’21, is a commercial loan officer at Capitol Federal in Wichita.

Luke Kennedy, b’21, g’22, is a postgraduate technical assistant with the Financial Accounting Standards Board. He is one of only six recent graduates nationwide and the first KU alumnus chosen for the assistantship.

Alexandra Lee, j’21, lives in Chicago, where she is a program assistant at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Tracey Lien, g’21, wrote All That’s Left Unsaid, her first novel, published last year by HarperCollins. She lives in New York City.

Sowensky Lumene, l’21, is an intellectual property associate at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.

Maddie Rheinheimer, c’21, j’21, is an account manager at Big Marlin Group in Phoenix.

2022

Sydney Bennett, d’22, teaches social studies at Louisburg High School in Louisburg.

Julia Doyle, b’22, is an investment banking analyst at Citi in New York City.

Lane Gillespie, j’22, is a multimedia journalist at WIBW-TV in Topeka.

Lauren Paszkiewicz, b’22, is a procurement specialist at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. She lives in Lawrence.

William Shinego, l’22, is an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Associates

Tom Dobski, assoc., is a 2023 inductee to the Lawrence Business Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Marilyn, assoc., own 12 McDonald’s restaurants in northeast Kansas.

Gary Sollars, assoc., retired president and CEO of Charlton Manley Insurance, is a 2023 Lawrence Business Hall of Fame inductee.