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Class Notes

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Check out our June edition of Class Notes! Please submit your own Class Note via our online form. We’ll feature you in the next email edition, online, in College of Charleston Magazine, and possibly even on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here are just a few highlights from the June edition.

June 2018

1976

Glen Brown has been elected to serve as Secretary of the College of Charleston Foundation Board beginning in July. He retired from Santee Cooper in 2013, after 35 years of service, most recently as Director of Human Resources. He and his wife, Grier Gadsden Brown live on James Island.

1977

Jeff Kinard has been re-elected as Chair of the College of Charleston Foundation Board. He is a CPA on Pawley's Island, SC, and a Past President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association.

1978

Linda Swain Crabbe was elected to the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board of Directors in May. She earned her M.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina and is a pediatrician for children with special needs in Sumter, SC. She and her husband, Mark, have four daughters and six grandchildren.

Rallis Pappas has been elected to serve on the College of Charleston Foundation Board. He is President and Co-Founder of Information and Display Systems (IDS), a division of SportsMEDIA Technology Corporation. The company is a provider of scoring, statistics, and display products and services at sports venues all over the world. He and his wife, Dendy, live in Atlantic Beach, FL.

1981

Peggy Gunter Boykin has been elected Vice Chair of the College of Charleston Foundation Board. She is a CPA and Executive Director of the South Carolina Public Employee Benefits Authority. She and her husband, Darrell, live in Lexington, SC.

Leigh Jones Handal of Charleston, SC, was featured in an episode of award-winning PBS show This Old House leading the show's cast on a tour of the American College of the Building Arts where she is the Director of Institutional Advancement. She is also the owner of Charleston Raconteurs, offering personalized historical tours of the Carolina Lowcountry that go beyond the popular tourist sites.

1983

Brucie Howe Hendricks delivered one of the College's commencement addresses in May and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.. She is the first female federal judge from Charleston, SC.

Rahul Mehra has been elected Vice President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. He is CEO and Chief Medical Officer at MehraVista Health in Tampa, FL, and a board certified Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist. He also serves on the School of Sciences and Mathematics Board of Advocates.

1984

Kirk Moore is a new member the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. He is President and CEO of TW Metals, Inc. He and his wife, Patty Fralinger Moore, live in Sewell, NJ, and have three daughters, two of whom graduated from the College of Charleston.

1985

Kieran Wray Kramer (M.F.A. '18) of Johns Island, SC, is a USA Today bestselling author of a dozen fun fiction novels for women published by St. Martin's Press. She was recently awarded the 2018 MFA Fiction Prize in the College's M.F.A. program in creative writing.

 

1987

Brian Rutenberg delivered one of the College's commencement addresses in May and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. He is an internationally exhibited painter based in New York City, a Fulbright Scholar, and a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellow. He and his wife, Kathryn, have two children, Olivia and Christian.

1988

Kristi Ryba of Charleston, SC, won the $25,000 second place prize at ArtFields, a nine-day competition and exhibition held in Lake City, SC, for her mixed-media installation piece called Chapel of Perpetual Adoration.

 

Lisa Broome has joined the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as the Associate Director of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts Honors Program. She received her master's in English from the University of Alabama and her Ph.D. in English from the University of Kentucky.

1992

Randall Comer of Springfield, OH, is President of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has been a Partner at Martin, Browne, Hull & Harper since 2008, and specializes in general defense litigation with an emphasis on labor, employment, and workers' compensation matters. He earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Cynthia Marcengill Legette has been elected Vice President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. She is a Senior Vice President, Private Client Manager for US Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Charleston, SC. She and her husband, Jeff, have two children.

Kathryn Edwards Sherrod is Director of Annual and Major Giving at Porter-Gaud Foundation in Charleston, SC. She was recently elected Vice President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. She and her husband, Will Sherrod, have twin daughters and live in Mount Pleasant, SC.

1994

Rochelle Thornbrugh Grooms of Lakeland, FL, is a School Counselor for the Polk County School Board, and earned her M.Ed. from The Citadel. She and her husband, Kevin, have two children, Wilson and Anna.

John Wakefield has been elected to the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is an Executive with VW Real Estate Services in Tampa, FL.

1995

Bryan Braddock of Hartsville, SC, was recently re-elected as Chairman of the South Carolina United Methodist Conference Board of Trustees for his seventh consecutive year. He practices family law from his office in Florence, SC, and in 2017, finished his fourth year as Chair of the Family Law Section of the South Carolina Association of Justice. He and his wife, Dusty, have three boys.

Kevin Hamilton was awarded the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award of Achievement. He is a celebrated artist in Charleston's jazz scene, and has garnered great acclaim for his recent work as the bass player with Ranky Tanky, whose debut album tops the Billboard, iTunes, and American Jazz charts.

Greg Joyce was awarded the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award for Service. He is Director of Development at The Royal Oak Foundation in New York City, an organization that raises awareness and funds for the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Previously, he was executive director of the French Heritage Society and did much to support preservation efforts in Charleston.

Michael Renault has been elected President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board of Directors and will also serve on the College's Foundation Board. He is the Owner of Image360, a national franchise focused on graphics, signage, and displays. He and his wife, Courtney have two sons, and live in Charleston, SC.

Neysa Burkes Williams is a new member of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board of Directors. She has recently returned to Charleston following her retirement from the U.S. Army as a Public Affairs Officer. She also serves on the College's Black Alumni Council.

1996

Holly Stafford Borota of Seminole, FL, is Program Director for Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services.

Tricia Ory (M.S. '97) has been elected to serve on the College of Charleston Foundation Board. She is Senior Vice President, Finance for Flexential in Charlotte, NC.

Frank Young is a Financial Advisor in Hickory, NC, and founded the organization, Furnishing Relief, in honor of his close friend, Brock Long, a FEMA Administrator. The organization provided truckloads of furniture to the Houston area to assist those who lost everything in Hurricane Harvey. He and his wife, Taylor, and have two children, Virginia and Franklin.

1997

Stacy Harris is a new member of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. After an eight -year career as a professional basketball player in Europe, he is now a Strategic Client Executive for UnitedHealthcare's National Accounts. He and his wife, Tonya Squirewell Harris '98, live in Atlanta with their three children.

1999

Robert Condy of Charleston, SC, was awarded the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award of Achievement. He earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a degree in film and video from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is Founder of the Robert Condy Immigration Law Office which concentrates on family-based immigration. He has been involved in Cambodian and Tibetan refugee relief efforts, as well as helping to establish a home and school for children with disabilities in New Delhi.

Matt Czuchry delivered one of the College's commencement addresses in May and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. He is an actor and stars in the television series, The Resident, on Fox. He has also had leading roles in The Good Wife and Gilmore Girls.

Michelle Burley Gantt of Pelion, SC, is Supervisor of Patient Access at Lexington Medical Center.

Derrick Williams is the new President-Elect of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. He also serves on the Honors College Advisory Board. He is an Attorney and Partner with the law firm, Mickle & Bass in Columbia, SC. He and his wife, Alana, have two daughters.

2000

Margaret Seeley Furniss of Charleston, SC, was awarded the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award of Achievement. She and her husband, Kris, are Owners of Caviar and Bananas, a coffee shop and gourmet market with five locations in Charleston, Greenville and Nashville. She is a member of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Development Board and the Board of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Matthew Kennedy has received the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award for Philanthropy. Inspired by his experience at the College, he was a driving force in getting the Robert Ivey Scholarship in Dance fully funded. He is a Senior Vice President for Jefferies, a global investment firm, and lives in Roswell, GA.

Jennie Powell Norton and her husband, Jimmy, announce the birth of their son, James Bransford Norton V "Quint", on February 19, 2018. The Norton family lives in Washington, D.C.

Michael Shemtov received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Honors College in May, and was the guest speaker at the Honors ceremony. He owns four Mellow Mushroom restaurants in the Charleston area, as well as Butcher & Bee, The Daily, and The Workshop, a culinary incubator. He is now expanding his restaurant concepts to Nashville.

2001

Katie Spegal of Doylestown, PA, earned her master's in gerontology from the University of Southern California, and is Corporate Director of Quality and Control at Acts Retirement Life Communities.

2002

Marc LaMaina of Riverhead, NY, is Owner of Lucharitos, a Baja-style Mexican food restaurant in Greenport, NY.

2003

Britget Bettelli Price (M.P.A. '06) of Mount Pleasant, SC, is a School Counselor at Wando High School. She earned her M.Ed. from The Citadel in 2012.

Alexandria Pellegrino Rogers (M.A. '15) and husband, Brian, announce the birth of their son, Jack Murray Rogers, born on April 18, 2018. She is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty in Charleston.

2004

Travis Bedson of Charleston, SC, is CEO at CNT Foundations LLC, and has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40.

Quinton Hollis has been promoted to Head Basketball Coach at the Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, SC. He previously spent seven years coaching middle school, high school, and AAU basketball in Georgia before coaching at Wando High School.

Phil Klein and Anna Burnett Klein '12 of North Charleston, SC, announce the birth of Kathryn Nelon Klein, born on April 15, 2018. Phil is a Manager, Customer Development at Benefitfocus, and Anna is a Senior Graphic Designer.

Evan Linder's play Byhalia, Mississippi, will be produced by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in June 2019. The play is an uncompromising exploration of race, family, and betrayal in the American South, and won Chicago's prestigious Jefferson Award in 2016. He is a Playwright , Actor, and Co-Founder of The New Colony, a professional nonprofit theatre company in Chicago.

2005

Kelly Flaherty of Ewing, NJ, is a Drawings Cataloger for Princeton University Art Museum. Previously, she was a collections information specialist at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Stacey Barber Hollings has accepted the position of Controller for Ground Swell Capital in Charleston. She is a CPA and a Vice President of the College of Charleston Alumni Association. She and her husband, Robbie, have two children.

Andrew Jaffee of Charleston, SC, has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40. He is a Wealth Management Advisor at Apollon Wealth Management. He and his wife, Kristin, welcomed a son, Meyer Edison Jaffee, on June, 6, 2017.

Frank Kenan of Charleston, SC, has been named to the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School Board of Advisors. He is the Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager of KD Capital Management, LLC, and serves on the Cougar Club Board of Directors.

Sarah Nielsen of Johns Island, SC, is an Executive Assistant with RockIt Hospitality and has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40.

Emily Oye Sealy and Jon Sealy of Glen Allen, VA, welcomed their second daughter, Lydia, on August 29, 2017. She joins big sister, Helen Ann.

2006

Michelle Mapp (M.P.A.) of North Charleston, SC, has joined the Board of Directors of Business Development Corporation. She is CEO of the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, which raises and pools capital from public and private investments to finance community development projects around the state. She is also a Liberty Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Andrew Muller of Mount Pleasant, SC, has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40. He is Owner and President of Mappus Insurance.

Lyn Tally of Charleston, SC, is a Certified Yoga Instructor and Founder of Go Interactive Wellness and the Unwind Program, which helps workers improve their health, energy, and productivity.

2007

Carrie Armentrout Hoffeditz of Indianapolis, IN, was awarded Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity's Certificate of Merit on April 14 at Indiana Zeta Day. The Certificate of Merit, voted on by ZTA's National Council, is awarded to a member who has a minimum of seven years of significant post-collegiate service to the organization.

Lauren Whiteside Mann's pressed flower art business, Southern Bloom Press, was featured in Charleston Weddings Spring 2018 issue and Charleston Magazine May 2018 issue. She is Assistant Director, Alumni and Campus Engagement for the College.

Christine McDermott has joined the Chicago office of global real estate services firm, Colliers International, as Director of Marketing. She will spearhead the strategic development and implementation of marketing campaigns in support of business development goals.

Chelsey Didsbury Morrison and Justin Morrison of Mebane, NC, announce the birth of their second son, Sullivan James Morrison, on April 8, 2018. He joins big brother, Eason Charles.

Johnny Pieper of Charleston, SC, is Owner and Head Distiller at Striped Pig Distillery and has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40.

Nisha Mayes Terry of Greenville, SC, runs a successful screen printing and embroidery business, and is Product Manager at Synnex Corporation. She and husband, Cedric, announce the birth of their second son, Kelden Terry, born on March 3, 2017.

2008

Ellison Baker Black and Gordon Black '11 announce the birth of their son, Judd Robert Black, on May 25, 2018. Ellison is a Recreation Manager for Gokiawah at the Kiawah Island Club, and Gordon is a Sales Associate for Boomtown in Charleston.

Brady Quirk-Garvan of North Charleston, SC, has been selected to participate in the inaugural class of Policy Leaders by the US SIF, the largest trade organization focused on sustainable and responsible investments. He is a Business Development Manager for Money With A Mission and Natural Investments. He was recently elected to a third term as Chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party and sits on the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board.

2009

Alison Mays of Los Angeles is a Senior Analyst, Connected Experiences for The Walt Disney Company.

Sara Perry (M.P.A) of Charleston, SC, has joined Carolina Youth Development Center as its new Associate Vice President of Development. Most recently, she served two years as Director of Operations and Outreach for the Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative.

Jeanmarie Tankersley is a new member of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board of Directors. She is an Associate with the law firm of Clawson & Staubes, LLC in Greeenville, SC.

2010

Madison Kelly married Thomas DeFranco on May 5, 2018 at Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. She is a Senior Account Executive in the New York office of WeddingWire, an online market for wedding vendors.

Thomas Dunn has recently relocated to Washington, D.C., to work as Project Manager for Kaiser Permanente. He earned his M.H.A. and his M.H.I.T. from the University of South Carolina in 2017.

Caroline Eubanks is a Freelance Writer and Content Creator in Atlanta, and will have her first book, This Is My South: The Essential Travel Guide to the Southern States, a guidebook to the American South, published in July.

Mike Fielding of Johns Island, SC, is Owner of Low Tide Brewing, which opened in 2015, and was the first brewery on the island.

Johnny Pieper of Charleston, SC, is Owner and Head Distiller at Striped Pig Distillery and has been selected by the Charleston Business Journal as a member of the Class of 2018 Forty Under 40.

Joseph Saei earned his law degree from Yale University Law School in December 2017, and was projects editor on the Yale Law Journal. He received the law school's Liman Public Interest Fellowship which will fund his work at Muslim Advocates in Washington, D.C. to advance religious free exercise rights of prisoners and detainees.

2011

Sean Bath (MPA '15, MS '15) of Washington, D.C., is a Program Specialist at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, MD.

Charlotte Hupp has joined UDig in Richmond, VA, as Executive Assistant.

Jenna Moore of Charleston, SC, has opened a home and gift store, Fourteen & East, in West Ashley, which focuses on locally made products and items made by women, many of whom are College of Charleston alumnae.

Nevan Phillips (MBA '12) is Founder and Owner of Matrix Auto Sales in Charleston, SC, and is also a Real Estate Broker.

Brys Sepulveda married Miracle Thomas on June 18, 2017. He is a Senior Server Engineer for The Pokemon Company International in Bellevue, WA.

2012

John Starzyk of Goose Creek, SC, earned his M.P.A. from the University of Nevada, Reno in May 2017, and is a Veterans Workforce Consultant for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. He and wife, Becca, welcomed their son, George Blake Starzyk into the world on February 5, 2017.

2013

Olivia Ahern of Providence, RI, is a biological oceanography Ph.D. candidate at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, and expects to graduate in May 2019.

Ashley Fabian was awarded the 2018 College of Charleston School of the Arts Young Alumni Award. She has joined the Resident Artists of the Pittsburgh Opera for the 2017-2018 season, and was previously a soprano with the Cincinnati Opera and Central City Opera in Colorado. She holds a master's in voice and opera from the University of Cincinnati, and is the recipient of numerous vocal awards.

Andrew Trechsel and Sara Brennan, both of San Francisco, united in marriage on April 7, 2018 in Bluffton, SC. He is a Senior Associate for Witt/ Kieffer, and she holds an associate's degree in baking and pastry arts from The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

2014

Gregory Karel of Bethesda, MD, graduated from a 28-week long fire academy and now is assigned to Station 5 in Crystal and Pentagon cities in Arlington County, VA. The station serves as the closest responding county fire station to The Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Gretchen Lidicker of Brooklyn, NY, is Health Editor for mindbodygreen, and has received a two-book deal from W.W. Norton to write a small series of health and wellness books. The first set is due to publish in October 2018, with the second following in April 2019. She earned a master's degree in physiology and integrative medicine from Georgetown University in 2017.

Michael Morgan has been promoted to Group Sales Manager for Total Quality Logistics (TQL) in Durham, NC, and manages an office which creates $100 million in annual sales. TQL is the nation's second largest freight brokerage firm. He has helped hire over 20 CofC graduates in the past two years for the company.

Lindsay Russell is Owner of The Palmetto, an authentic Southern cuisine and barbecue food truck in Sawtell, Australia.

Mimi Striplin is a new member of the College of Charleston Alumni Association Board. She is Co-Owner of Cannonborough Collective in downtown Charleston, a balloon and gift shop featuring local artisans.

2015

Madeline Anderson of Knoxville, TN, is an Academic Advisor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and earned her master's in counselor education/student affairs from Clemson in 2017.

Manny Houston is a Classical Pianist, Music Director, and Entertainer from Charleston, SC. He performed with his nine-piece band at the Charleston Music Hall on April 8, 2018.

Amelia Navarrete of Charleston, SC, was nationally recognized with the "Best in Network" award, presented by New Tech Network. She is an English teacher at Burke High School.

2016

John Clark of Ladson, SC, has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolina Sun Real Estate as an Agent.

Raina Datt of Charleston, SC, has joined Knowledge Capital Group as an Analyst.

Sterling Rippy is earning her master's in behavior change at University College London, and expects to graduate in September 2018.

Sami Williams of Irmo, SC, is Operations Specialist for Nolan Transportation Group.

Katherine Young has joined the Courtyard Marriot SouthPark in Charlotte, NC, as Operations Manager.

2017

Victor Aaron of Charleston, SC, has been promoted from Intern to Communications Coordinator for US Club Soccer, a national governing body of soccer.

Michelle Allen works in Ocean Exports for United Cargo Management, located in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Ciera Gordon of Florence, SC, is Co-Owner and Director of Marketing of Cowboy's Famous Ribs & Chicken, a barbecue food truck which serves the Pee Dee region and surrounding areas. Cowboy's has been recognized as one of the best food trucks in the county.

Christian Jablonski of Houston, has joined the Houston Dynamo as Account Executive, Membership Sales.

Salvador Lopez Rivera of Camden, SC, is pursuing his Ph.D. in French at Washington University in St. Louis, and expects to graduate in 2024.

Hannah Syfrett of Summerville, SC, has been named Rookie Teacher of the Year at Gregg Middle School, where she teaches special education, using various modes of communication to help her students thrive.