2000s

00 Keeping It in the Family
Happy summer everyone! We finally made it! We can enjoy the sunny days, warmer weather and no homework! Ooh wait, that last one was for the kids, although it is nice not having to nag anyone to get their math done or make any school lunches for a little while. Julie McDonald is going to have one less lunch to make this fall, as her son Michael is Class of 2028 and her son Patrick will join his big brother at ND as a member of the Class of 2030. Both of them get to claim status as fifth-generation Domers! Julie and her family have called MN home for almost 20 years where she is an associate director of admissions at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. It is a sixth-12th college preparatory school, where her daughter also attends. Congrats, Julie, you must be a proud momma! We also have some classmates who continue to do some amazing things within the ND community! Juanita Alejandro Zapata was selected to serve on the national alumni board as the ND Women Connect Southwest regional director. She is also in her last term as the president of the ND Club of San Antonio. Cesar Castellon was selected to serve on the national alumni board as the ND Unity Council Mid-Atlantic regional director. Thank you, guys, for all the hard work you put into making Notre Dame a wonderful community beyond our years as students there. One of our entrepreneurial classmates, Maggie Zepeda-SeLegue, is launching her new app, GotInfo. It’s a real-time platform that connects families to businesses when they need something now. You guys should check it out. Lastly, I wanted to put in another reminder about our class tailgate this fall. Remember, it is on Sept. 19 for the Michigan State game in the Stadium Lot. All are welcome. If you would like to donate to help fund class tailgates and other events, please Venmo Melissa Tacey (@Melissa-Goodwin-78), or reach out to her (mjtacey13@yahoo.com) with any questions or ideas. With so much going on, and everyone working so hard, I hope you all get a chance to take in the lazy crazy days of summer, forget about making lunches and not think about algebra for a few months. I love hearing from you guys, so please fill me in on all your brags and news! — Laurie (Strotman) O’Malley; ndbug3@hotmail.com

00MBA Who’s Talking About Retirement?
Believe it or not, some of us are retiring (or thinking about it a lot)! If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend a book called Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance by Bob Buford, who talks about professional retirement as the beginning of reinvestment into the kingdom. Here are some updates. Kaan Mert wrote: “1. Kaan Jr. was stationed in South Korea, and his assignment ends in June. He’s coming back home to Richmond VA as deputy officer in the Transportation School for enlisted soldiers and will be promoted to 1st lieutenant. He enjoys working in the Army and is proud to be able to serve his country which I also call ‘my second home.’ 2. I will be visiting him in late June and early July and we’re planning to take some time off to drive around and visit Notre Dame where he was born. My mobile number is +352-691-174-327. If anyone will be around — close to Notre Dame — in early July, please let me know. It will be great to meet and catch up. 3. Lastly, I just finished my fifth year in the European Investment Bank as senior advisor to the Energy Department in Luxembourg. Looks like I’ll be there for another five years, before I retire. In case any classmates come to Western Europe, especially Luxembourg and surroundings, please let me know. It will be a pleasure to host you guys. All of you are deeply missed and frequently remembered. My best wishes and love to all.” Kathy (Maley) and Matt Fangman are celebrating the graduation of their oldest child, Dean, from Mendoza Class of ’26. Their youngest, Amy ’30, will also be joining her brother Gus ’28 at Mendoza in the fall. Kathy and Matt are based in TX but spend a lot of time in South Bend every fall, so please look them up when you are on campus for games. Jonathan Puskas wrote to say, “Blessings to all our classmates and wishing you health and happiness. Following my retirement from the US Navy in October, I’ve been blessed to have time to read, explore music and arts, and time with family and friends. And, time to give back. Rachel remains deeply involved in our community as a Lake Oswego City Councilor while still running her historic preservation/residential design firm. And, I’m focusing on helping our local community as a track coach at Lake Oswego High School, alpine ski coaching for the Multnomah Athletic Club, and as a volunteer firefighter. Honestly, in a world where many are facing great challenges, we feel truly fortunate.” And Sucheth Davuluri wrote to say, “I have recently taken on the role of executive vice chairman at Neuland Laboratories. It’s a responsibility I step into with gratitude — both for the journey so far and for the many people and experiences that have shaped it. It’s a transition that gives me the opportunity to focus on long-term strategy, governance, value creation, sustainability, foundation and guiding the leadership team as Neuland continues its growth journey in the pharmaceutical space. It feels like a natural next phase — stepping back to steer, support and enable. I have also accepted to be on the board of directors for DCAT. This is one of the most prestigious pharmaceutical organizations of companies globally.” Please send any personal and/or professional updates. — Mike McDaniel; Highland Village TX 75077; mba2000@alumni.nd.edu

00JD Class Secretary — Daniel Hardwick; danhardwick@gmail.com

01 Reunion Thank-You
Thanks to everyone who came to our 25th and especially our volunteers: Michael Anselmi, Jess (Johnstone) Eaton, Susan (Fritts) Fiesta, Scott Ford, John Micek, Katie (Leicht) Matsoukas, Michelle (Rubner) Olejnik, Rev. Gerry Olinger, CSC, Margaret (Wood) Powers, Jennifer (Caswell) Schaffler and Paul Sepe. Please send favorite Reunion stories or any other updates by July 18 and I’ll include them in the fall edition. Congratulations to Michelle Graham, who was named to the 2026 Forbes Best-in-State Women Wealth Advisors list for the third time. — Michael Anselmi; 415-860-7130; manselmi@alumni.nd.edu; classof2001@alumni.nd.edu

01MBA Class Secretary — Dan Hennessy; hennessy50@yahoo.com

01JD Class Secretary — Jonell Lucca; cell 602-677-3266; jonelllucca@yahoo.com

02 Recognition, Relocations and Reconnecting
Kristin Kaple-Jones, Ed.D. received the Buckeye Association of School Administrators Exemplary Educational Leadership Award for Region 10 with recognition from the school superintendents’ professional association at the December 2025 Monroeville Local Schools Board of Education meeting. This prestigious statewide honor is bestowed upon school administrators who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation and commitment to student-centered excellence. Dr. Kaple-Jones was chosen by superintendents from across Ohio in recognition of her outstanding contributions to advancing Monroeville’s educational programming and elevating the district’s vision for high-quality learning. Kristin is in her fifth year as the superintendent of Monroeville Local Schools in Monroeville OH. John McKiernan ’02, ’05JD is excited to move back to South Bend after being named executive vice president and chief operating officer at Holy Cross College. When he begins in May 2026, John will support President Marco Clark in operationalizing the college’s many strengths and positioning the college as a premier institution for Catholic higher education. One of the great joys of this position is connecting with former classmates and friends. Recently, I heard from Jenni (Kleine) Lanktree. She continues to live in NYC with husband CJ ’01, raising three children and continuing to work on Wall Street. They’ve been married for over 20 years and enjoy giving back to ND through their work with ND’s Wall Street Leadership Committee, AIM Advisory Board, and Gift Planning Advancement efforts. Mark your calendars for our 25-year Reunion and let us know if you’re interested in joining the planning committee! Wait, we cannot be that old, can we? June 3 - 6, 2027. Please follow the Instagram page (@ndclassof02), join the Facebook page (Notre Dame Class of 2002) and update your preferred email address on my.nd.edu for important Reunion updates. Do you have any updates? Please share them with me so we can share with the community. — Peter Countryman; pcountry@gmail.com

02MBA Class Secretary — Melissa Hurd; hurdmc@yahoo.com

02JD Checking In
At ND’s “Rally” for high school seniors admitted to the Class of 2030, my wife, Christine ’01JD, son Matthew and I enjoyed dinner with Lisa (Andeen), Bill Whitman and their son William. Matthew and William committed to ND and discussed a plan (or plot) to be known as Matt and Willy on campus. Judge Susan (Junck) Longsworth checked in from the bench in MI and reports that being a mother of three is good training for her work as a trial court judge, where she exercises jurisdiction and discretion over a diverse docket. Manny Ubinas reports that his oldest is at Vanderbilt and his role at Verily Life Sciences continues to expand. He invites anyone visiting Dallas to check in with him. — Andy Mayle; amayle@maylelaw.com

03 What’s New with You?
My inbox was a little quiet this quarter, but I know there are great updates out there worth celebrating. We’d love to feature your accomplishments and newsworthy life moments in the next edition. Please send them my way! Go Irish! — Josh Gentine; jgentine@alumni.nd.edu

03MBA Class Secretary — Rosemary Guillette; 9 Messenger St., Unit 7, Plainville MA 02762; rguillette@alumni.nd.edu

03JD Class Secretary — Lawrence A. Ward; 206-903-8817; ward.lawrence@dorsey.com

04 Congratulations Bobby
Bobby McBride, an ’04 graduate of Notre Dame Army ROTC program and Dillon Hall resident, completed over 21 years of loyal service to our nation as a Chinook pilot, leader and officer in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). His family is tremendously proud of him as he serves God and Country! — Carol Martino; carolmartino10@gmail.com

04MBA Nalla’s Culinary Experiences
Shekar Sathyanarayana left his career in entertainment to found Nalla and share authentic South Asian culinary experiences. Nalla is a premium event company that partners with CA wineries to create immersive Indian cuisine and wine pairing dinner events. The wine industry needs new market share, but has overlooked the most obvious opportunity: The South Asian community has the highest household disposable income in America, and nobody was creating premium experiences for them. Shekar built the solution. Wine Enthusiast and the Santa Barbara Independent featured Nalla and highlighted Nalla’s partnerships where guests experience multi-course Indian meals served on gold thali presentations, paired with estate wines, accompanied by live sitar and tabla music, classical Indian dance performances and cultural storytelling. Nalla partners with over 100 wineries across CA, which includes Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and Santa Ynez. The company creates turnkey experiences for winery members, corporate clients and private celebrations. Each event features regionally specific Indian cuisine (Punjabi, Bengali, Kerala, South Indian, etc.) paired with carefully selected wines, designed to create a marriage between two great cultures. Growing up in Kansas as a first-generation Indian American, Shekar watched his parents bring South India to the Midwest through food, language and ritual while fully embracing their new home. That experience shaped Nalla’s approach: Culture doesn’t need to be preserved in isolation. It evolves, adapts and finds new expressions in unexpected places. After Notre Dame, Shekar built a career in Hollywood talent representation at WME and UTA before founding Nalla. He’s currently pursuing his WSET certification and has visited over 200 CA wineries as part of his wine education. Corporate groups book Nalla for client entertainment. Couples hire the company for milestone celebrations. Wineries add Nalla to their event calendars because the experiences sell out and create memorable moments for their wine club members. Nalla is exploring expansion beyond CA, and under Shekar’s leadership the company is building relationships with country clubs and corporate event planners who are looking for differentiated programming. Shekar’s best compliment is when people tell him they had no idea an experience like this existed. They walk in expecting a typical winemaker dinner with steak or French cuisine and leave surprised by the immersive Indian experience. For Notre Dame alumni interested in Nalla’s events, corporate partnerships, or just wanting to see what happens when world-class wine meets authentic South Asian hospitality, Shekar welcomes the connection (shekar@alumni.nd.edu). Shekar lives in Culver City CA and serves on the board of the Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles. As founder of Hollywood Domers, he also connects Notre Dame alumni in media, entertainment and tech. Alumni interested in joining can reach out at shekar@alumni.nd.edu. When he’s not working on Nalla, he continues to train Brazilian jiu-jitsu, working towards his black belt and eventually a teaching certificate. He and his wife have an 18-month-old boy. — Harry Howisen; hhowisen@gmail.com

04JD Back to the Wolverine State
After spending time as an executive at various entertainment companies, James Finney started his own entertainment law practice. Focusing on business and legal representation in addition to consulting services, James’ expertise serves companies and individual creatives in the entertainment, media, sports and technology industries. After living in Los Angeles after law school, he relocated with his family back to Grand Rapids MI in 2021 while continuing his law practice. I plan to hire him when this Class Notes column really takes off and makes me famous. James and his wife also have two teenage sons who keep them busy. — Katie (Wharton) DeFerrari; katiedeferrari@gmail.com

05 Hall of Fame, Brickhaven Inn
On April 25, our classmate Jacqueline Batteast was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2026 Women’s Silver Anniversary Team. The press release announcing this honor detailed her outstanding career, with far too many accolades to fit within my word limit! At Washington High in South Bend, Jacqueline totaled 1,635 points, 1,087 rebounds, 264 assists, 197 steals and 259 blocked shots over four seasons and stands fourth on the school’s career scoring list. At Notre Dame, she totaled 1,874 points, 965 rebounds, 294 assists and 167 blocked shots over four seasons for teams that went 89-38, played in four NCAA Tournaments, and reached two Sweet 16s with coach Muffet McGraw. Jacqueline was selected in the second round of the 2005 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She played with the Lynx in 2005 and with the Detroit Shock in 2006, helping the Shock to the 2006 WNBA championship. After retiring as a player, Jacqueline served as an assistant coach at her alma mater Washington High for five years and currently works for SafeLiteAuto Glass in Mishawaka. She enjoys following Washington High and Notre Dame athletics, as well as supporting her two nieces in their sports and activities. Big congratulations to Jacqueline for her outstanding career and for this well-deserved honor! If you’re planning a trip back to South Bend this fall, be sure to check out Brickhaven Inn, a newly renovated bed and breakfast owned by our classmate Safe Brewer! Safe and his wife, Amanda, purchased the Cushing Manor home at 508 W. Washington last September and have been working on renovations and repairs to the 154-year-old historic beauty. Check them out at brickhaveninn.com or on Insta at @brickhaven_inn. — Caroline Meehan; ndclassnotes05@gmail.com

05MBA Class Secretary — Himanshu Gosar; hgosar@alumni.nd.edu; ndmba2005-owner@googlegroups.com

05JD Who Says You Can’t Go Home Again?
Not our own John McKiernan ’02, ’05JD. We are excited to welcome John home as he moves back to South Bend after being named executive vice president and chief operating officer at Holy Cross College. Beginning in May 2026, John will support President Marco Clark in operationalizing the college’s many strengths and positioning the college as a premier institution for Catholic higher education. Sounds like a Class tailgate is in order this fall. We also have a few job changes to note. Out in the Golden State, Julia Witt started as a senior litigation attorney at FitzGerald Kreditor Bolduc Risbrough LLP in LA. Meanwhile, here in Houston, Xavier Jordan became general counsel at Automated Industrial Robotics — after nearly seven years as the deputy general counsel at Sensia Global — where he continues to be at the forefront of industrial automation. And in Denver, Coleman Lechner became the director, senior attorney - privacy at Kroger. Cheers to all of you on the new journeys. No matter what our driver’s licenses may say, we aren’t old … yet. At the 2026 Boston Marathon, one of our favorite harriers, Chad Silker, ran a sub-3-hour marathon, a Masters Division personal record. That time also qualifies him for the Berlin Marathon in September, conveniently during Oktoberfest. Glückwunsch and a hearty “Prost!” to you, Chad, one mile at a time. — Adam J. Russ; Houston TX; adamjruss@gmail.com

06 Reunion Recap
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 20th Reunion, especially those who volunteered to help create the unforgettable weekend. Please send me your fun stories from Reunion and other life updates by July 18. — Anna (Skoien) Lall; annagracelall@gmail.com

06MBA Congrats on 20 Years
Unfortunately, no one from the Class of 2006 reached out to me to share stories and updates for this edition of Notre Dame Magazine. So my congratulations go out to my fellow Class of ’06 classmates on this, the 20th anniversary of our graduation. I’ve no doubt there’s been many successes as well as near-misses with our class, and encourage all to keep working diligently, not to fear changes and challenges, and put all the skills and abilities you learned at ND and thereafter to work to benefit yourselves, your families, your communities and all humanity — even if the results of such are not immediately visible. Remember, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago (and we did just that), the next best time to plant a tree is today. Contact me anytime with your updates and stories for the next edition of Notre Dame Magazine. — Mike Lloyd; 651 Nathaniel Chase Lane, Herndon VA 20170; cell 312-388-0501; mt_lloyd@yahoo.com

06JD Class Notes Are Missing Something . . .
You! Consider this a friendly nudge. The Class of 2006 has spent two decades doing interesting, meaningful and occasionally surprising things. Your classmates would like to hear about them. New role? New city? New kids, hobbies or takes on how far CJ Carr can take the Irish? Send in an update and help tell the story of where our class is today! — Brian E. Hammell; behammell@yahoo.com

07 Reunion Planning, Wedding News
Molly Fox and Thomas Buller (Colorado State U) were married Sept. 26, 2025, in Golden CO. Molly and Thomas were able to celebrate their marriage surrounded by many ND and SMC alumni including Tim Dolezal ’02, Katy Dolezal ’00SMC, Kate Fox Dolezal MEd ’04, Hillary Thornton Eckardt, Greg Touney, John Harringon, Dan Myers, Katie Cordelli Myers, Jeff Gonzales, Mary McVeigh, Neil Reece, Eileen Froehlke Reece, Mandy Gonzales ’09 and Sheila McLaughlin Metzner ’07SMC. Molly and Thomas also had a future ND alum attending their wedding, Peter Dolezal ’30! Congratulations Molly and Thomas. We are excited to announce that next year will be our 20-year Reunion! Reunion planning is underway and we are so excited to welcome our classmates back to campus June 3 - 6, 2027. Please make sure your preferred email address is up-to-date on your my.nd.edu profile so you can receive our updates about Reunion and our mini-reunion for the Miami game on Nov. 7. We are looking forward to seeing many of you during this Reunion year. As always, please submit your updates and let me know if you’re interested in joining the Reunion planning committee. — Stephanie Pelligra Doyle; ndclassnotes2007@gmail.com

07MBA Class Secretary — Tim Ponisciak; timponisciak@gmail.com

07JD Class Secretary — Patrick A. Salvi II; Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., 161 N. Clark St., Suite 4700, Chicago IL 60601; 312-372-1227; psalvi2@salvilaw.com

08 Is Your Cholesterol Over 200?
This summer is your time for 199. Dr. Emily Donelan agrees. Start making summer reunion plans with your Class of 2008 friends; remember, the Midwest is the place until Sept. 15. Perhaps you could visit Julia (Vogelheim) Hudac’s remote relatives in Cheboygan MI. Dr. Andrew Zeiser’s parents have a place on the water in OH. Mary Claire (Sullivan) and Garrett Mandeville live minutes from the finest Milwaukee beaches. Who was unaffected by the 2008 Recession and saved enough for a cottage on a lake? Good for you. Send an email to us and let us know the address and availability. Congratulations to Patrick Nolan on his impressive performance on Jeopardy in April! Brittany (Baron) Manning was elected to the Holmdel NJ Board of Education in November 2025 for a three-year term. Husband Kevin Manning and sons Levi (10), AJ (8) and Lennie (3) could not be prouder! In October, Chris Reidy married Meghan (Randall) Reidy and celebrated with friends and family in Cancun, Mexico. The dance floor was hot; so were Chris and his bride. Ankica Jedry and her husband, Christopher Goduto, welcomed their third child, Vincenzo Cedric Goduto, in March. Older brother Raphael and sister Zlata have embraced the shenanigans a little leprechaun brings. Jess Zarra brunched with Doug Schlarman in Chelsea, NYC, earlier. They cackled often and swapped stories about mistakes at the Feve and Finnegans. Doug committed more mistakes (obviously). Analisa Arizpe put down her iPod. But then she picked it back up and found Sean Paul’s “Temperature” and Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous.” She listened to both and liked it. Thomas Rosenberger danced poorly to Nelly Furtado at El circulo del arte in Toledo, Spain, in spring 2007. Brendan Ryan, who was Spanish language-challenged, was also there. Tom Bufalino, who has lost weight since college and looks fabulous, lives in Chicago and now works for a Detroit-based food and beverage company as its head of marketing. He has come a long way. Mike Reilly has not. The jury is out on William Kearney. We have another Class of 2008 classmate running for Senate: Nick Albares is running in Louisiana. He went on the Appalachia Seminar in fall 2005 and proved his mettle with a hammer and light construction work. Kathleen Coverick approves of his candidacy; so does Mallory McMorrow, Senate candidate in MI, who has pulled to the top of the leader board. How could any of us be surprised after witnessing her peak athleticism in 2006? Lawrence Sullivan is still skinny; so is Jesse Brawer. Pat O’Brien is fairly chubby but lost several pounds after the road commission took out a pre-Civil War oak tree at the side of his lawn. Pat kept the wood, split it and then made a holzhausen. If you don’t know what that is, you cannot afford it. John Biddle tapped his maple trees and made maple syrup for his kids this past fall. Yes, still a top dad. His wife, Katie (Burke) Biddle ’10MEd, agrees. See you soon, in the fall, when the crisp leaves make way for football. Send us your updates at classof2008@alumni.nd.edu. — Patrick O’Brien; classof2008@alumni.nd.edu

08MBA Class Secretary — Megan Ulrich; meganlouisefitzgibbons@gmail.com

08JD Class Secretary — Marie-Therese Mansfield; mt.mansfield1@gmail.com

09 Doing Better than Fine
Kristina Sinutko was selected for and attended the Master of Fine Arts: Art Residency Program at the University of Notre Dame’s Kylemore location in Ireland, where she spent four weeks alongside 13 artists in intensive studio practice and creative exploration in a magical setting. The transformative experience strengthened her artistic direction and marks a major milestone in her artistic journey. Kristina’s work was also accepted as an emerging artist into Art Fair on the Square in Madison WI. Congratulations, Kristina! Greg Arbogast married Susie Maurer on Aug. 16, 2025, in Arvada CO. Rev. Tom Gaughan, CSC, Greg’s rector in Stanford Hall, celebrated the wedding Mass. Three of Greg’s close friends from Stanford were in the wedding party — James Welle was best man while Nick Krafft and Ryan Cleary were groomsmen. It was a great reunion! The following Saturday, Greg received his Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the U of Denver. He is now a postdoctoral fellow with St. Raphael Counseling for Catholic Charities of Denver. Andrew Matasic and Craig Wiborg are planning their next adventure following a brief hiatus for Ironman training. Please visit the Notre Dame Class of 2009 Facebook page to reconnect with members of the class. If you have any additional news or announcements, please contact me. Go Irish! — Megan Flynn; megflynn7@gmail.com

09MBA Class Secretary — Shawn Pulscher; 801-336-7344; spulscher@alumni.nd.edu

09JD Class Secretary — Josh Rinschler; josh.rinschler@gmail.com