2010s
2010s
10 New Normal
Happy 10-year anniversary of graduation. I am sorry we could not celebrate together on campus for our reunion this summer. I hope you are healthy and adjusting to a new normal during these trying times. Christine Carty and Jeremy Pawlak ’09 were married in Spring Lake NJ in September 2019. Christine celebrated with ND bridesmaids Meghan Kaler, Alex (Kelly) Hoffmann, Ellyn Michalak, Emily (Whalen) Crocker ’11 and Julie Wagner ’09. Among the 37 Notre Dame alumni in attendance, friends from Class of 2010 included Lauren Whalen, Caitlin (Kelly) McKenna and Sarah (Follmer) Strother. ND’s biggest fan, Mike Niehaus ’95, was happy that it was a bye weekend. Kate Sullivan married Robert Toupin in a small, quarantine-times wedding at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Washington DC on June 20. Among the masked guests were Carolyn Rumer, Patrick Kibbe ’09 and Stephanie Parks. Tim Latham mowed through his opponents to become a Jeopardy! champion in his debut on the show and returned for a second night, which he led until a large, late daily double wager ignited raging debate among Jeopardy! strategists and eventually cost him a second win. Jeff Skorup and Michael Augsberger put together a game watch despite many markets preempting Tim’s episodes with the NFL draft. For an update of my own, my wife Molly (Smith) Molloy and I moved to Cincinnati in June where I am a hospital medicine fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Molly continues to work for the Maryland Department of Health — remotely, of course. Keep sending updates to NDClass2010@gmail.com. Engagements, weddings, babies, jobs, moves, appearances on game shows — we love to hear all of it. Go Irish. — Matt Molloy; ndclass2010@gmail.com
10MBA A Good Start
Ted Kwartler shared that despite the crazy times, travel upsets and hardships, things are looking up at their startup DataRobot. Recently, Ted was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building in the Federal Office of Management and Budget. This is a committee making government-wide recommendations for appropriate data use and secure sharing of data across branches and with external researchers. Colleen and Pete Austin welcomed their first child, Maeve Eileen Austin, on April 12. She was born at the height of the pandemic in NYC, which must have been an interesting time to have a baby. Everyone is happy, healthy and hunkered down in Hoboken NJ. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing your news with me along the way. Go Irish. — John Gerberich; cell 847-331-4707; jgerberi@alumni.nd.edu
10JD Class Secretary – Jennifer (Hernandez) Laffitte;
10310 Southwest 128th Ave., Miami FL 33186; res 305-322-7154; bus 786-762-3815; jherna11@alumni.nd.edu
11 Class Secretary — Evan James;
ndclass2011@gmail.com
11MBA Living Through a Pandemic
Lots of updates came in this month. It seems like the pandemic has given everyone a chance to do great work, reflect, and spend time with their families. Kevin Richards has been back in Bermuda since 2015 and is married with a baby boy, aged 16 months. He’s been enjoying the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic as he’s been able to spend a lot of time with family. On the business side, he recently left the Bermuda Business Development Agency, where he was representing the country to grow the technology sector and to diversify the economy for the last five years. He’s taken over his family business, Bermuda Asset Management (BAM) and launched BAM Fintech Advisors so that he can leverage the work he’s been doing since we graduated in 2011. In this capacity, he is the CEO of The Proof of Trust Bermuda, a smart contract dispute resolution company, the global development manager for MAPay, an international healthcare payments provider and is supporting Inca Digital to penetrate the Bermuda insurance market with their AI technology. He’s otherwise loving life in Bermuda. He just got a new Vespa and is enjoying beaches that are not full due to the global shutdown. If anyone is looking for a safe haven during these crazy times, Bermuda opened up a few weeks ago and is only a 90-minute flight from NYC, Boston and Philly and he’d love to connect with anyone who comes down. Rob Lisenko is in South Bend for a while and has been using this time to learn to code and hopes to turn that into a business. He’s caught the entrepreneurial bug and is enjoying the creative freedom it provides. Israel Peck started a software company called Cratic in 2018 with a former client. They are focused on solving the problem of company culture, with AI. They spent 18 months building the initial product and had their first pilot program this year with a multinational business. In the pilot they demonstrated a shift in subconscious team traits by 29 percent in just six sessions. The business was stunned by the results, and Israel and team are super excited about what this means for the future of happy companies and teams. Jose Guillen Sada reports that in Spain they have been dealing with one of the strictest stay-at-home policies around the world and is grateful that he and his family are doing great. During this time, he has been working to finish a product that he was working on before the crisis, but believes it is even more needed right now. It is called STUDEAM and is a planner for students to deal with all the tasks and requirements when they are at home. Check it out: taskntime.org/en/studeam-4/. Jose is one of the founders of the company and is proud of what they’ve accomplished so far. Jeff Harer started a new role at Cargill in April as the vice president of finance for business operations, supply chain, innovation and sustainability. To say it was an interesting time to step into the supply chain of the largest food company in the world would be an understatement. It has been a good transition and he is excited to be doing work that makes an impact. In the community, he continues to chair the corporate advisory board at Mendoza. He has been asked to join a board in Minneapolis focused on improving education in disadvantaged communities. — Mimi Wilfong; 903-714-4988; mimitwilfong@gmail.com
11JD Heirs to the Throne
Well everyone, this quarantine thing is sticking around. Let’s try and fill the void of good news with some baby announcements. Now, as the queen of these notes, I am proud to announce the Prince of Lincoln Park, the Baby with the Belly, the Future Domer of the 2040s, the Baron of the Backer, the Heir with the Hair, Connor Sharkey Byam born on June 4 to yours truly, Lauren Sharkey Byam ’08, ’11JD and Jack Byam. All are doing well, but these are the first sentences I have typed in weeks and I am sure it shows. Connor is joined by A-list future Domer Grace Idara Deloris Winslow who was born in July to Linda Ubokudom Winslow and Lamar Winslow ’13JD. Some people seem to be a lot more productive during quarantine than others. Rich McAvoy started his own firm North Carolina. An article by Elizabeth Adams ’08, ’11JD was published in the Notre Dame Journal of Emerging Technologies focusing on alternative energy and electricity. Until next time all, send updates my way. — Lauren Sharkey Byam; lksharkey@gmail.com
12 Congratulations
Congratulations are in store for Katharine and Ryan Kavanagh as they welcomed their third child, Guy Richard Kavanagh, on Sept. 30, 2019. He was baptized in the Log Chapel over the Navy weekend in November 2019. — Tyler Harmsen; tharmsen14@gmail.com
12MBA Babies and Fishin’ Show
Well, gang, it’s been some time since we’ve had an update. Since then, there have been lots of updates, mainly babies. Tom Siminek and his wife had identical twin boys in January: John Peter and Bennett Robert. Hammad Qadir has two boys: Zidaan, 4, and Faaris, eight months. John Madia has started an online fishing series called “Johnny Joe’s Fishin’ Show.” It reveals all the secret fishing holes of New Jersey and has a cult-like following. Joe Barron and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Olivia Joy Barron. Andy John and his wife had a well-timed baby girl on their fourth wedding anniversary: Avery Grace John. Aanand Hingway and his wife welcomed a daughter Niranjana in March. Russ Cramer’s fourth and final child, Ian, lives in a Spiderman costume. Antonio Espinosa and his wife have three boys and expect a fourth in December. Matt Pyzyk and his wife welcomed a lovely baby boy, Mateo, on June 19. It’s been a busy year for the Voulgaris family. They moved to Boston as Carole accepted an assistant professor position at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. As the year passed, Phil put himself on the job market because he got sick and tired of working from home. He started a new product marketing position with SmartBear Software just as the pandemic hit and now finds himself working at home again. Their daughter, Moira, 3, spends most of her days telling Cat in the Hat fanfiction stories. — Chris Villani; christopher.villani@gmail.com
12JD Mastering the Art
Hello, classmates. I am writing from my home, which I have been fortunate enough to rarely leave over the past few months. Having mastered the art of Zoom Court and answering work emails from a porch swing, I am excited to bring you all the updates I was sent. First, as is tradition, the babies. Catherine Zung and JH Schroeder welcomed a baby boy in May. His name is George Thomas Schroeder, and he is their first child. Megan Monaco Starr and her husband, Christopher, also had baby No. 1, Lincoln Joseph Starr, on June 16. Megan does not recommend giving birth in a pandemic but said that she didn’t have much of an option, being pregnant when things started. Ryan Shupe and his wife, Raquita, also had baby No. 1. Their daughter Alina was born in April. Jenna and Brian Boyle had baby No. 2 on June 17, a beautiful baby boy named Neal Julius Boyle. Philly (Meluch) O’Hare and husband Bill brought Margaret Kathleen into their clan on June 14. I got a quick work update from Alvin Adjei, who is opening a second location for the BA Law Firm, which he founded with Reed Burritt ’14JD. Both attorneys were named Rising Stars in the 2020 Texas Super Lawyers list. And now, let’s talk quarantine projects. I asked, and you answered. Personally, I spent way too much time in the backyard building a retaining wall and a deck and threw together a few error-filled pieces of furniture. Philly said that her project was trying to balance working full-time, momming full-time, and teaching preschool. Her kids told her that they liked their real teachers better, and she agrees. She has formally requested a redo so that she can do something more fun. Ryan Shupe dove into home-brewing. He’s gotten through eight beers and two ciders, with a Belgian farmhouse ale next up on the docket. Abhishek Kambli said that he mulched his yard, which is a crucial step in preserving soil moisture and keeping weeds at bay. And Sharon Lim reports that she got a treadmill right when COVID hit. Things were going well until she apparently flew off it and bruised both arms, both legs, and her chin. Asked to describe the incident in a word, she replied, “Graceful.” Alvin Adjei used his time at home to organize his vast collection of fishing lures, many of which he tied himself using locks of celebrity hair he bought on eBay. And finally, I am happy to announce that the quarantine winner is Brittany Hunt-Jassey. First, she walked (or maybe slowly drove) 408.4 kilometers, amassing 5.9 million XP in Pokemon Go and reaching level 34, a level that son Joey described as “embarrassing.” She has a 100 percent solve rate on the NYT Crossword App, and as of today is on a 39-day streak of solving puzzles without cheating before midnight. Husband Mark was convinced (by Brittany) to start working on his culinary skills, so Brittany has proudly perfected her ability to not be responsible for a single meal since March. And finally, Brittany has successfully mentored Joey to attain the following life skills: he memorized his social security number, memorized the military alphabet, learned to write a check, hosted a Zoom meeting, learned to boil an egg, perfected the thank-you note and learned to change a diaper. Why all these skills? Because Joey is 15.5 years old this summer, and therefore eligible for a learner’s permit. He needed to earn that ride to the permit office. Brittany reminds us to be wary of Oklahoma’s newest road hazard. There is no prize for winning quarantine, but I think we should all send Brittany a congratulatory email, text message, or Edible Arrangement. Keep sending me those updates. — James Champlin; james.c.champlin@gmail.com
13 Mask the Worst Four Letter Word?
Thank you all for tuning in to another edition of the Class Notes. At the time of this writing in late July, we’re seeing a second surge in total numbers and total hospitalizations for COVID-19. Since the last article I wrote, we’ve seen global protests against racial injustice, a ban on American travel to the EU, and people getting into fights about facemasks. In this interim, I volunteered my time in Gallup NM to provide care to people affected by COVID. Never have I seen such resilience and compassion in the face of tragedy. I write these things not to politicize an international pandemic, but to serve as a reminder of where we’ve been and where we ought to be heading. I’d like to think that all the wonderful people I went to college with are more than capable of showing what it means to be a community. As you might have imagined, we were a little sparse on the updates this go-around. I heard that Jessie (Bretl) and Chris Sarkis had another bundle of joy, Finnegan “Finn” George Sarkis, on June 30. I know Chris might disagree, but I think he would make a fine Sorin Otter. Joe Wernke and Payton Moore SMC were married July 25 in stellar millennial fashion. Thwarted by closed venues during an international pandemic, they broadcast their wedding on Facebook Live with all their friends and family. It is the first wedding I know of where half the guests were only wearing the top half of their attire at the start of the wedding. Finally, a special shout-out to Trish Kakenmaster who was the only person to take the challenge against that no-good, second-rate writer above me. She let me know that Maggie (Kakenmaster) DePriest graduated with honors from UNC’s school of business with an MBA in data analytics and strategy. This marks her second master’s degree, and it sounds like her mom’s betting on there being more. To quote Trish, “We think she decided to change her name when she got married because when you start adding letters after Kakenmaster, it just gets too long.” Maggie and Brian also adopted a labradoodle, Sadie, last fall. Meanwhile I decorated my office with a succulent, forgot it wasn’t a wax plant, was impressed that they were able to make a fake plant look like it’s wilting, then had to turn the empty pot into a pencil holder. That’s all I got this time, folks. I’d really love to hear from you all. I’m sure some people are doing some really inspiring work right now. I’m sure others, like myself, are suddenly flush with Netflix suggestions. We could all use a little pick-me-up these days, so please send me what you’ve got. I promise your classmates would be happy to hear about it. Cheers. — Chris Champlin; nd2013updates@gmail.com
13MBA The Usual
Lucas Taylor checked in to say he is doing operations for a healthcare company, and that by the time you read this, he’ll have moved to Las Vegas. He is happy to be gambling more and in good standing with the casinos. He would love to meet ND folks who end up in Vegas. Tom Martin took pity on my requests for updates, even though he has nothing new to report. He continues to live in Seattle as he has for the past couple of years with Jill Inman ’14. Tom has been spending his quarantine time making kombucha and trying out different TRX workout apps. He could not find any apps he liked so eventually he made his own workout video. Tom and Jill have been joining Melanie Ratchford ’14 for weekly virtual trivia events. Additionally, Tom has been blessed with the opportunity to share a couple of socially distanced meals in the park with Mallory ’10, Dan and Hayes (Class of 2042) Wolff. Email tommartin08@gmail.com if you want that sweet TRX video. And after emailing him, send an update my way. — Nick Imgrund; 314-775-7364; daimgrund@yahoo.com
13JD Plenty of Babies
It has been a while since I was able to submit one of these, so let’s cut the chit-chat. Apologies if I’ve missed anyone. Our SBA president Lamar Winslow and his wife Linda Ubokudom Winslow ’11JD welcomed their first child, Grace Idara Deloris Winslow, in July. Grace was born on Linda’s birthday. Janice Lee Fay and husband Tom welcomed a healthy baby boy, Walter Hyun Fay, in April. I’m looking at his birth announcement as I write this, and can confirm that he is a perfect angel, and not the Neon Genesis Evangelion kind. (That reference is dedicated to the time that Janice and I binge-watched anime for four hours instead of studying for finals.) Annette Allard Emery and her husband, Josh, welcomed son Peregrine Brier Emery in April. Annette reports that he is a “big healthy boy” and that Mango, beloved Pomeranian, and queen of FOG tailgates of yore, is adjusting well to the new addition. Annette and Josh recently moved from New Orleans, where Annette is an attorney advisor at the administrative office of the US Courts. Joanne Nachio wed Harrison St. Germain ’12JD in October at a beautiful wedding in Florida that Caroline and I were blessed to attend. Joanne started a new job at Kubicki Draper in West Palm Beach, where she practices automobile negligence, bad faith and claims administration defense, complex personal injury and coverage litigation. William Shanahan won his judicial primary for a seat in North Carolina’s District 4. Good luck to Will. He and his wife Ada are expecting kiddo No. 2 in November, and William Shanahan IV turns 2 in September. Christopher Wray is the No. 1 seed to be the new baby’s godfather, but anything can happen once tournament play starts. Mike Rogers will wed Dr. Erin Tkach in October in Phoenix, on a date that was supposed to be a ND football bye week. Ryan Fulkerson and Lisa Pollack Fulkerson welcomed their second child, Malcolm Eugene Fulkerson, in January. Ryan and Lisa recently moved to Cincinnati and are loving it. Ana-Paola Capaldo de Aoun and her husband, Lawrence, welcomed their first child, Lawrence Nassif Aoun IV in April. Congratulations to AP and Lawrence. Rick Wilson announced the birth of Grey Eli Wilson in December and posted an extremely cute pic in the class Facebook page. Joe Wyss and his wife, Nancy, welcomed their daughter Elizabeth in February. She joined big brothers Michael and Thomas. Nancy did all the work, including emailing me this update. Jack Miller and his wife, Ann, welcomed Josephine Everitt Miller, their second, last July. Adam Mathews was elected to the city council in Lebanon OH. In the Before Times, when people still went out and socialized, Obediah Ben Samuel won a limbo contest in a Brooklyn bar. Obediah is a corporate associate at Paul Hastings in New York, and as a side project is co-owner of a Manhattan restaurant called Mister French. So, if you’re hunkered down in NYC, you know where to get takeout. Daniella Palmiotto moved to Italy, rode out the pandemic and is now posting incredible travel pics @perfectjoyproject. Kevin Landino tried mounting a TV to his wall and hit an air duct. It is my judgment in my official capacity as secretary that he did not properly calibrate his stud finder. Congratulations on all the wonderful news to everyone who submitted life updates. I have found myself thinking of my classmates and our time at Notre Dame often these last several months, and please be assured of our continued prayers for the health and safety of you and your families. — Alex Blair; apblair@gmail.com
14 Summer Days
Summer days and summer nights are upon us, and I have tons of joyful updates to share. We have news of love and new life all around us, and while we are struggling with uncertainty and anxiety right now, it is important to celebrate these joyful moments when we can. Angela Lake and Alex Wentzel celebrated their first wedding anniversary. They met on their first day of band camp freshman year and were married just under nine years later, July 27, 2019 at Old St. Pat’s in Chicago by Rev. Edward F. Shea, OFM, ’78. Fellow Babes, Baritones, Ramblers and alumni in the wedding party included Melissa Hallihan, Camille Hayes, Catherine O’Donnell, Kara Schweitzer SMC, Justin Bartlett, Luke Mille ’16, Mike Murray and Billy Pecor ’15. Congratulations on your first anniversary and best wishes for many more to come. Looking forward to beginning their life together, Mara Stolee and David Cable will celebrate their Lyons-O’Neill wedding at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on August 8. What a great date to celebrate. (Is that too many rhymes? Never.) In November, Erin Krumenacker plans to wed Preston Epley in Greenville SC. We will be thinking of you and wishing you a warm November sun. Now we come to the wonderful news that you’ve all been expecting (har har). Jennifer and Christopher Brandt welcomed their daughter Grace Therese into the world on April 5. Bridget and Jacob Kaminski welcomed their son Rory on May 17. Meghan and Anthony Krenselewski are expecting their second child, a boy, in November. Their daughter, Emma, is preparing to be the best big sister ever. Keep us all updated, and let’s keep each other in our prayers. Lots of love. — Lizzie Helpling; res 513-470-9723; ehelplin@alumni.nd.edu
14MBA Class Secretary — Jessica Bonanno;
407-808-7148; jbonanno@alumni.nd.edu; Krick Cahill; 518-598-4222; kcahill1@alumni.nd.edu
14JD Class Secretary — Rachel Hanley;
rachelrhanley@gmail.com
15 Engagements and Weddings
Elizabeth Weir ’16 and Robert Uhl became engaged in Honolulu in March, just before everything shut down. Their wedding is planned for June 5, 2021, in Rochester NY. Delaney Pfister and Kayla McReynolds were married on June 20 with classmates Aislinn Murphy, Maddie Wimberly and Beatrice Brenner in attendance. Kayla graduated with a PharmD from the Ohio State U. Delaney and Kayla live on Long Island NY, where Kayla is starting her residency. Congratulations to all. — Emily Flores; Alexandria VA; eflores2@alumni.nd.edu
15JD Updates to Share
It has been awhile. I hope you are all staying healthy and safe in what has been a challenging 2020. Here are updates from Florida and Ohio. C. J. Pruner is continuing in his role as a prosecutor for the general felonies division of the State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Florida. He handles more than 300 felony cases ranging from basic thefts to aggravated battery, robberies, firearms, drug trafficking, and crimes punishable by life in prison. His last two trials involved a man getting stabbed with a sausage fork on Valentine’s Day, and a soccer mom who robbed a woman at a gas station who she mistook as her drug dealer. He is surviving quarantine with his subscription to Disney+ and a library card. In Ohio, Joe Hess is working as a staff attorney for the Ohio Court of Claims. He has two children: a son, 4, and a daughter, 1. His work has continued despite COVID-19. The courts have remained open, but trials were cancelled. He has been working from home as the judges continue to decide motions. Please send more professional or personal updates to share with our class. — Alisa Finelli;
alisafinelli@gmail.com
16 No Matter What, Anything Can Be Fun
Even in a global pandemic, our classmates haven’t missed a beat. I know you have made the most of what we’ve had this year. We raise our glasses to the couples who have married during this crazy time. Cheers to Meghan Van Thournout and Jack Guilfoile, Steph Comstock and Jameson Ondrof, Megan Hooven and Chris Brownshidle, Kelly Griffith and Brendan Bell ’15, Emma Lyons and David Que, and Erin Rice and Hunter Smith. Erin and Hunter were featured on the Today Show about their COVID-19 wedding and how they’ve kept romance alive during quarantine. Congrats to all the recently engaged couples. Joel Hensel proposed to Caitlyn Bryski overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, and Caroline Corsones and Jack Rooney said yes on top of Camel’s Hump in Vermont. Robert Uhl ’15 proposed to Elizabeth Weir in Honolulu and they’re planning for a 2021 wedding in Rochester. Cheers to Angela Reilly and Cary Shepherd, Morgan Akre and Jim Bauer, Lucinda Krahl and Maina Musa ’12, Lily Metzler and Ryan Tick, Erin Walters ’15 and Joe Schneider, Caroline Smith and Mike Petrucci, and Anna Szentirmai and Alex Bruhn ’14. Anna graduated from Columbia Dentistry in the spring. Congratulations to Peter Noell who was promoted to Army captain while getting his master’s in computer science at U of Chicago. Fernando Garcia also was promoted to Army captain, and he and Libby (Schichtel) moved from Texas back to ND for his M.Div. They also adopted a basset hound named Kevin. Jamie Dykstra is completing her MSF at ND this year, and Matthew Muliadi is doing the same with his MBA. A few years out from ACE, Josh Dempsey and Maggie (Schmid) Steiss are back for more as part of the Remick Leadership Program. Kelly (Griffith) Bell is taking on this year’s challenges as principal of St. Laurentius School in Philadelphia. Sheldon Day joined the Indianapolis Colts and we hope to cheer him on this fall. Monika Spalinksi and I were neighbors in Howard Hall, and it is funny that we’ve moved into the same apartment complex on Howard Avenue in Tampa. She works for General Mills but we have more fun drinking mimosas at the pool every weekend. Channing Foster works in PR and communications in DC and shares everything about the District gastro scene on Instagram. Follow her @thebooziefoodie. Jack Riely works as an architect in Minneapolis but spent his quarantine months building a miniature greenhouse complete with working lights and accessories. Tara Molson completed her MA in animation from DePaul U and will be moving to Las Vegas to work with a production company. Find Matthew Farrell and Olivia Godby as Night Hikes on Spotify; they started their dreampop two-piece senior year and have grown since then. Mariana Stanson is studying at Duke this fall for her MBA, and Veronica Feliz graduated from Syracuse in the spring with her master’s in art education. Kevin Salat made his TV debut on Jeopardy! in March 2019. He works as a product marketing manager with Microsoft but writes crossword puzzles for newspapers across the country. Cheers to Janine Romy, who passed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 3 Certification and works in St. Helena while continuing to build Vendange, the wine apparel company she co-founded. Candace Castillo is studying in San Antonio for her law degree and is the 2020-21 editor-in-chief for The Scholar, Saint Mary’s law review on race and social justice. It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news of Bridget Galassini’s passing in July. As Kelly Griffith so beautifully put it, Bridget “saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself and reminded me to follow my passions even if it led me to a path less traveled. She challenged me to think critically about the world while also persuading me to be more spontaneous and reminding me that anything can be fun. In an age when so many can feel pressure to follow a set path, Bridget marched to the beat of her own drum and I loved her for it.” Classmates, please keep making us all proud and never cease to take Bridget’s advice of following your passions and making your life worth living. Email me. I would love to hear from you. —Bridget Doyle; bdoyle3@alumni.nd.edu
16MBA More Excitement Needed
Classmates, while this update may be short, it sure is sweet. Katlyn and Clayton Sommers welcomed their third child, Mayzie Kate Sommers, in May. Their sons, Braxton and William, love having a little sister. Jorge Cuello and fiancé, Carolina, are getting married in January 2021. Jorge and Carolina live in Miami. If you are reading this, please consider sending us your updates and let’s make the MBA Class of 2016 column more exciting. — Claire Kenney; 545 N. McClurg Court, Apt. 1601, Chicago 60611; res 734-751-2354; ckenney2@alumni.nd.edu; Kelly Rubey; res 952-270-830; Kelly.rubey@nd.edu
17 Wedding Bells
We would like to offer our congratulations to Luke Gasperlin and Jacqueline Johnson who married in Minneapolis in June with Daniel Kendall serving as best man and Madison Oeff as the maid-of-honor. They are living in the Minneapolis area where Luke is working as a mechanical engineer and Jackie is finishing graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. To provide an update for the class column, please contact me. — Celanire Flagg; cflagg@alumni.nd.edu
17MBA Cheers
Hello everybody and happy fall. We have a few updates from our classmates. In baby news, Patrick Wirtz and his wife, Trish, welcomed their fourth child, Jacqueline Wirtz, on Oct. 26, 2019. Congratulations to the happy family. We have a lot of career updates this quarter. Jessie Sun rejoined the workforce after three years as a full-time mother. She began working at ICBC US (Industry and Commercial Bank of China) as a corporate banking associate in New York. She would love to have a cup of coffee with classmates who visit NYC. Travis Blaschke was promoted from Army major to lieutenant colonel in March, and in July he assumed command of the Chinook Block I Helicopter, Product Office, at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Ben Hota has been busy at American Airlines. He recently began a new position where he oversees the strategy of the Admirals Club and Flagship First Lounge revenue and strategy. Finally, Garrett Logan started a new job as a consultant relations associate at Tocqueville Asset Management, Vero Beach FL. He is in the process of moving to Vero Beach with his wife, Stacie. A huge congratulations to everybody and cheers to the MBA Class of 2017. — Mary Tomasik; mtomasik@alumni.nd.edu
17JD Share Your Updates
There is nothing new to report for this issue. Please continue to send me your news to share with the class. Stay well, everyone. — Lauren Nottoli;
laurennottoli@gmail.com
18 Class Secretary — Matthew Peters;
mgpeters96@gmail.com