2000s

From Brooke Frappier Jude ’00 for Spring 2025: Class of ’00, it’s been 25 (!) years since our final spring semester on Mayflower Hill! I continue to love getting the opportunity to hear from so many of you. ✹ Kat Kaminski Johnson writes, “Me and the fam are doing well. Still living in Acton, Mass., and working in environmental health and safety at Harvard University. As often as possible, we get to hang out with Lisa Cardillo DeMarco, Lara Bonn, Chrissie Marzano Davis, and Janine Schwartz, but never as much as we would like. Looking forward to seeing everyone in June at the reunion!” ✹ From Mary Larios Gatlin, “The big news is that despite our best efforts, our son Jackson will not be attending Colby in fall 2025. He committed early decision to Middlebury, and now we’ll have to learn a whole new fight song. In other news, Jason and I both started new jobs recently. Jason is director of R&D chemistry at Regeneron, and I am the grants coordinator for Mass Audubon. We will be relocating to White Plains, N.Y., after Jackson goes to college in the fall, and we’re looking forward to exploring a new area. We won’t be able to make it to reunion this year, but we’ll be thinking of everyone and wishing we were there!” ✹ Who knew when the Sharks with Frickin’ Laser Beams Attached to Their Heads (SWFLBATTH) came to life in 1997 to play I-Play football, soccer, and broomball that it would only be the beginning? Nearly 30 years later, some contingent of SWFLBATTH carries on annually in the Reach the Beach 200-mile relay race. Each September, Reed Bundy, Brian DiBello ’99, John ’99 and Melissa Gerbi Doyle ’99, Kelly Fanning, Sean Foley ’99, Chris Greenfield ’96, Liz Magyar Stockwell ’98, and Dan Zipin ’99 meet up at the house of Jeremy “Bad Dog” Donovan, where they gear up before spending 30-plus hours racing from the White Mountains down to Hampton Beach. Most importantly, none of this ill-advised adventure can happen each year without the tireless support from Sean Foley’s wife, Stella. The Sharks, who are currently “training” for their lucky 13th annual race, welcome all Colby alums to come out and offer them encouragement and/or a ride to the finish line. ✹ Peter Hans and Michael Siegel traveled to Finland last summer to cheer on Ross Frankenfield as he competed in the World Wife-Carrying Championships. While Ross didn’t win, his competitive spirit proved admirable. Siegel also ran into Eric Saucier at the Newark airport. Unfortunately, Siegel’s head nod went unreciprocated by Saucier. ✹ Cipperly Good is putting together an exhibit on Maine’s now-dead sardine industry at the Penobscot Marine Museum. Grab a can of kippered herring and stop by Searsport, Maine, before or after reunion to reflect on the boom, bust, and revitalization of communities dependent on the extraction of natural resources. ✹ Krikor Daglian reports, “I’m currently in year 25 of living in New York City and still going strong. In fact, in 2021 I decided to go full time with my walking and food tour business here in the city, helping people from around the world take a deeper dive into the culture and history of New York. Among the guests last summer: Tony Frangie ’01 and his family. We rambled through Central Park and then hit some food spots in the East Village. I have to admit that I didn’t have much of a plan on how to use my Colby history major when I graduated, but I got there eventually!”

New submissions for Fall 2025: Danielle Fornes Quinlan recently transitioned into the role of Operations and Advancement Manager for the Foundation, the fundraising arm of Northwestern Michigan College, in Traverse City, Mich. She can’t wait to see everyone at the 25-year reunion in June!

From Dana Fowler Charette ’01 for Spring 2025: Hello, friends! Thanks for letting me write this column for over 20 years. When I signed on, it was a four-year commitment, and I guess I never left. But getting the news is really a highlight when it comes around each year. My oldest daughter will begin her junior year in high school this fall, and it’s wild to me that I am now starting the college process for the next generation. Time to reread Becky Munsterer Sabky’s book Valedictorians at the Gate. I assume there are a bunch of us with kids this age, so check it out on Amazon. I’m still living in Connecticut and traveling like crazy with my kids, who took up sports that have us all over the country and beyond. I am really hoping to bring the whole crew to reunion, and I look forward to seeing so many of you again soon. ✹ Evan Reece wrote that he and his wife, Annie, are missing their CA friends but enjoying life back on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Evan is working on his new company (truest.me), building simple tools that help people be more successful and fulfilled at work (career-management software but for the worker, not the enterprise). Their kids have been playing hockey, which means less skiing than they’d like, but they seem to be having fun. ✹ Stuart Luth is still in NYC with his family, doing what he loves: helping people communicate better. Following seven years at Own The Room (LifeHikes), he recently joined the team at Templar Advisors, a global leader in spoken communications since 2000. His most challenging/rewarding client? Eight-year-old Auren, who is already writing comedy sketches and reciting Shakespeare. ✹ Shanna Brownstein lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband and two sons, ages 12.5 and 7. She’s serving on the board of directors of Oregon Adaptive Sports, a nonprofit that enables people with disabilities to access the outdoors. She got to hang out briefly with Seth Arens last fall, and it was super fun to see him. ✹ Hannah Smith Harrison finished her seventh author-illustrated picture book—The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep (Zonderkidz)—which came out in February 2025! ✹ Michelle Farrell was promoted to full professor at Fairfield University, and she just completed her three years chairing the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. After 24 years, she reunited with the 2000-01 Colby Oak Fellow Hector Mondragón in Bogotá, Colombia. During his time at Colby, Michelle was his Spanish interpreter for his course on human rights. Being chosen to work as his interpreter at Colby was one of the experiences, along with courses in the Spanish Department, that made her pursue a career studying Latin American film and literature. Reminiscing with his family on how important their semester at Colby was made her realize one of the many gifts that Colby has given her. ✹ Julie Hall Williams left the security of full-time employment to venture out with her own fundraising consulting firm. She enjoys working with Mules from all over and with great causes, including Labor Mobility Partnerships with Elicia Carmichael and the Knox Clinic with Paul ’70 and Jeannie Cook Klainer ’71. Julie is looking for volunteers for the Reunion Committee (coming in June 2026!). Please reach out to her if you can help at all.

New submissions for Fall 2025: As the VP of Marketing for ModelOp, the leading AI lifecycle automation and governance software for enterprises, Jay Combs recently launched a new podcast “Good Decisions,” where he sits down with bold thinkers, mission-driven experts, and enterprise leaders navigating the human side of AI. If you’d like to be considered as a guest, reach out! ✹ In May, Nicole (Russo) Evans and her husband, Pat, accomplished their goal of hiking the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim. The trip was incredible and they experienced all the elements from over 100 degree temps to snow! ✹ Garrett Kephart and Amy (Lansdale) Kephart celebrated their 15th Wedding Anniversary in Seoul, South Korea, on Amy’s 45th birthday in Dec. 2025.

From Rich Riedel ’03 for Spring 2025: Justin Stempeck returned to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as deputy general counsel in November 2023 after spending two years at a regulatory technology startup. Last summer, he spent time with Doug LaLiberte at his house on a lake in Maine and caught up with Justin Ossolinski on Cape Cod. He also occasionally sees Mike Cox when he can convince him to drive south from New Hampshire. Justin hopes to organize a gathering this year for the group, including Spencer Hutchins and Katrina Noyes. ✹ Katrina Noyes brought her son, Jasper, home in July 2024 after more than two years in the hospital. He’s happy and getting healthier every day and will start home-based preschool in March. She’s been so happy to see Doug LaLiberte and Justin Stempeck over the past year. Whenever she does, she feels 22 again! ✹ Kate Zimmerman Marlow loves teaching middle school English and spending time with her three kids, husband Jonathan Marlow ’02, and their aptly named dog, Colby. Each summer, the Marlows travel to Maine, where a highlight is reconnecting with Dee and Megan Shannon-Winterson Michaud and their three kids. It is like no time has passed when they see Colby friends and spend time up north. ✹ Lesley Loss and Josh Weitz enjoyed their first real winter in years and were outpaced by their 11- and 8-year-old boys on the steeps in Vermont and Colorado. In an effort to indoctrinate the boys early on, they’ll be enjoying camps in Maine and visiting Colby as a family. Through Colby’s professional development network, Josh has been fortunate to mentor James Lau ’24 and his partners as they launched their app, DIALED, and ride the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship. Josh also closed a Series A funding round last summer for a stealth-mode life sciences company and looks forward to sharing more as it grows! ✹ Keagan Russo checked in from Atlanta, where one big perk is being within an easy drive of his old roommate, Peter Newberry. Newbs and Ebony recently welcomed a baby boy, so Keagan and his youngest, Reese, 9, took a road trip to meet the newest addition to their family! ✹ Clay Smith and his family are enjoying life in Golden, Colo. Clay serves as general counsel for Arq, Inc., a small environmental company that manufactures activated carbon for air and water filtration. Outside of work, the Smiths make the most of Colorado’s great outdoors—rafting on the Colorado River in the summer and skiing across the state in the winter. ✹ Last fall Karli Jaffe Efron joined the team at the National Diaper Bank Network, working to ensure families across the country have access to basic needs like diapers and period supplies. ✹ Sarah (Schleck ’06) and I are enjoying our time in DC, where our 7- and 4-year-old boys keep us busy in and around the city. Otto, 7, is in year two of Scouts and has loved the additional escapes outdoors, including the pack-wide, 100-plus-person camping trips. ✹

New submissions for Spring 2026: Kaitlin McCafferty was recently on campus for Alumni Council meetings with fellow ’04 Aimee Jack, AVP of Alumni & Donor Engagement. She was thrilled to hear about the investment in the sciences, see the progress on the new dorm, and connect with current students. On her way home, Kaitlin stopped to see Maura and Jared Bisogni and their family. Kaitlin is working in marketing at a fintech start up, OnePay, and living in Hamilton, MA. ✹ Lauren Henderson ’04 and Brad Seymour ’04 are still living in Andover, Mass. with their two children. She recently bid a bittersweet goodbye to commuting to the other side of Boston to take a position as Blackbaud Implementation and Configuration Consultant at Phillips Academy.

New submissions for Fall 2025: Tim Smith-Gerding is running the America Votes Campaign for Voting Right in New Hampshire through his social impact consulting firm, Granite Impact. ✹ B.L. Lippert just finished his 21st year as a football coach at Cony High School in Augusta, Maine. His Rams lost in the state championship game after entering the game 10–0. He also teaches AP Government, AP US History, and Geography at the school. He’s married and has two sons, Case and Lincoln. ✹ John A. Tyson was awarded tenure at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, where he teaches modern and contemporary art history. He recently caught up with Mary Phelps, a fellow former cross-country runner, at a Colby Alumni in the Arts event in New York City.

New submissions for Spring 2026: Steph Pierce Sheline ’05 writes, “Cheka (Francesca) Gage ’05, Carreau Mueller Ryder ’05, Heather Hansman ’05, Nicole Wessen Cushman ’05, Katie Lucas Geant ’06, Maureen Sherry Lynes ’05, Courtney Morris Drauschke ’05, and I all got together in Boston in late February for a girls weekend. We laughed way too much, had an epic dance party in our own private karaoke studio, and my face hurt from smiling at the end of it all. The only thing that would have made it better was if Melissa Plante Dubois ’05 had been able to join us.”

New submissions from Spring 2026: Peyton McElyea was installed as Fleet Captain of the Los Angeles Yacht Club at its 125th opening day ceremony. He will lead the club as Commodore in 2029 and looks forward to welcoming international sailors to the Port of Los Angeles for the LA28 Olympic Games.

From Kate Slemp Douglas ’05 for Spring 2025: Lots of exciting news to share! ✹ Steve Bogden was interviewed on Jim Grant’s podcast, Current Yield. ✹ Good news that Peyton McElyea’s house in the Los Angeles area didn’t burn, nor did Jeff Lederman’s childhood home. ✹ Matt Bucklin was expecting a baby girl in April. He also became president of the Yale Club of Palm Beaches. ✹ Melissa Mullen Davis was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at Millersville University, where she teaches chemistry and biochemistry. ✹ Abbey McGuire Wright welcomed a baby girl, Norah Elizabeth Wright. ✹ Jackie Dao Dinneen, Tara Studley Mejia, Jess Hardy Kelly, Karinna Russo Allen, and Katie Markowski Dru kicked off a Galentine’s tradition this year. ✹ Christo and Katie Markowski Dru and their son, Harry, moved from Denver to Ventura, Calif. She’s now corporate counsel at Cottage Health and welcomed baby Julia last June. ✹ Miranda Silverman Gaudet, Caitlin Grasso, Emily Gavryck Childs, Meredith Jalkut Gibbons, and Abby Lowell Barjum reunited for their annual winter getaway in Lenox. ✹ Chris and Laura Hudecek Noyes, an urgent care/emergency PA in Newport, Wash., welcomed their first, William, last August. ✹ Hillary Wiley McAllister resides in Maine with her husband and 13-year-old daughter. Hillary works as a licensed clinical social worker at Community Concepts. ✹ In 2021 Elliott Katz, his partner, Léa, and his stepson, Gustave, welcomed baby Ezra. The family splits their time between Burlington, Vt., and Montréal. Elliott maintains a sculpture studio and practice in Burlington and is preparing for his first solo museum exhibition, at Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, in November 2025. ✹ Katie and Liam McDonnell and their kids, Keagan and Kennedy, have settled in Portsmouth, N.H. Katie, a social worker for NH Health and Human Services, loves her job. Liam, at MSU Portsmouth, is also taking strategic studies classes at the Naval War College. ✹ Allison Neumeister Frye, Haid Garrett Bloxham, and Sarah Eilefson reminisce about days at Sugarloaf as they ski their respective backyards: Tahoe for Allie and her three boys; Alpental in North Bend, Wash., for Haid and her son; and Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minn., for Sarah. Haid recently welcomed a daughter, Elizabeth. Alana Willhite sent her regards to the slopes from Burning Man last year. ✹ Christina Pluta, a life sciences sales leader at Amazon Web Services, welcomed a second boy last year. Her sons are now 3 and 1. ✹ Abe Summers and his wife, Xingxing, live in Philly. He works in the golf business and keeps out of trouble with kendo and ice hockey—playing it and coaching his two kids. ✹ Last summer Mike Sirois and his wife hosted Frederik ’03 and Natalia King Rasmussen, Emily (Quann ’04) and Eric Luth, and Kelly Klemarczyk Kaineg and her husband for a barbecue with all their kids. ✹ Patrick Harner recently worked with Xavier Garcia’s media company on a successful multimedia (video, music, and poetry) presentation for a Massachusetts museum. Patrick is currently exploring working for Teach for America while his family is taking care of a small rescue bunny, Nimble. ✹ Ilana Saxe completed a second Ironman 70.3 last summer in Augusta. She enjoys her role as assistant dean of faculty at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. ✹ Warner Nickerson married a few years ago and expected a second girl earlier this year. He and his family live in Stockholm, and he runs a small fashion brand, c’est normal. He enjoyed a vacation to the White Desert in Egypt and went seaplane lake camping in Nevada. ✹ Lastly, it’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Kathy Rittner, who died last October. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in Worcester in 2010 and thrived in the world of primary care. Over the course of her career, she served Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska as well as Indigenous people in Australia. She also served at a Christian clinic in Honduras, and for the last several years she worked in clinics in Colorado and South Carolina. Her last position was at the Federal Prison Hospital in Devens, Mass. Our condolences to her family.

Submissions from Spring 2026: Jess Seymour Wood ’06 is living in Boulder, CO with Anders Wood ’07 and their three children. She recently went back to school to get a second Masters degree in Educational Leadership. They continue to enjoy the mountains and community in Colorado, and love seeing Colby friends when they get the chance. ✹ Caitlin Peale Sloan ’06 is still loving environmental and energy law at Conservation Law Foundation in Boston, an environmental nonprofit serving all of New England. In January, Caitlin moved into the role of Vice President for Climate and Energy at CLF.

From Lindsey Boyle McKee ’06 for Spring 2025: I am always so impressed with the great things the Class of 2006 is accomplishing all around the globe! ✹ Stephen Planas and his wife, Katherine, now live abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, having relocated for Katherine’s work. They miss the Colby crew in DC but are embracing the adventure of expat life, particularly exploring Scotland and traveling throughout Europe. Stephen is also really enjoying the opportunity to hit the links in the home of golf! ✹ Tomas Vorobjov and his wife, Hanka, are excited to celebrate their youngest, Charlotte, as she turns 2 on July 20! She’s been the perfect addition to their family, keeping up with her big sister, Marina, who’s been brightening their lives since 2020. They are happily settled in Bratislava, Slovakia, where Tomas works as associate director of technology at AT&T Slovakia. ✹ After living in the San Francisco Bay Area since graduation, Katie (Himmelmann ’07) and Charlie Hale moved to London with their two kids, Corinna, 7, and William, 4. Charlie started a new job leading public policy for an advisory firm called Milltown Partners. Katie’s considering her next challenge after 10 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner. They live in the borough of Richmond and would love to reconnect with or meet any Colby grads in the area. ✹ Melissa McNulty is with the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, where she manages foreign assistance programs supporting Mexico’s efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs. She also is an avid sailor and recently returned from cruising Panama’s San Blas Islands. ✹ Chris DeSantis spoke at the 2025 World Aquatic Development Conference. The title of his speech was “Practical Application of Positive Psychology in Swimming.” Chris also hosts a popular swimming podcast called The Swim Brief, where he interviews coaches from around the world. ✹ Bram Geller and his wife, Ashley, live outside Portland, Maine, with their three amazing kids: Maverick, 8, Addison, 5, and Remington, 3. Bram continues to work as a critical care cardiologist and has authored a variety of statements from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Bram feels very blessed and is certainly filled with fond memories of Colby. ✹ Last fall Ander Tallett launched Dash Bio, a tech- and AI-driven clinical research organization designed to accelerate drug development. It grew out of experience at Moderna and other well-funded biotech companies that still struggle to bring drugs through clinical trials. He also founded and runs DigitalRadius, the #1 Smartsheet (a spreadsheet software company) implementation partner. He lives in Park City, Utah, and has three kids, Rose, 2, Alden, 5, and Charlie, 7, with his wife, Beth Tallett. ✹ Two classmates have new additions to celebrate! Josh ’05 and Emily Greene Kahn welcomed their third child, June, in … you guessed it, June. She is plump and delightful and adored by her big sister and older brother. ✹ Anders ’07 and Jess Seymour Woods welcomed their third child last fall, joining her two older brothers. The family continues to ski and adventure in Boulder, Colo. Jess has paused her career as an educator to focus on kids and family but hopes to work supporting education and teachers in the upcoming year. Anders started a new job as a software engineer for a startup based in San Francisco, works remotely, and enjoys the mountains in every season. They run into other Colorado/Denver-based Colby alumni here and there, always enjoying their shared memories from Mayflower Hill.

New Submissions for Spring 2026: Finn Teach is excited to be moving from Maine to the Azores, Portugal this spring, perhaps permanently, and would be happy to help others navigate an international move.

From Annie Mears Abbott ’07 for Spring 2025: Liz Boeheim reports that she “went fully feral” last year, solo hiking the John Muir Trail (where she met fellow alumna Jen Beever Gozzy ’83!) and competing in her second and third ultramarathons. She’s planning to celebrate 40 by mountain biking in Turkey with Kathryn Bartholomew O’Leary! ✹ Annie Mears Abbott (that’s me!) and Doug Abbott welcomed Charles “Chip” Abbott. We are a happy family of four living in Pomfret, Vt., where we get plenty of ski days at our local hill, Saskadena Six. Toini Rivas ’06 and Caitlin Blodget Pingree also ski there regularly with their families, and it was fun running into them every weekend! ✹ Karli Gasteazoro McGill, Sarah Eilers, Katie Maland Schupack, Alisa Perry, Elisa Chiniara, Natalie Ginsburg Rose, Jamie Kline, Erin Schlossman, Meg Davis Smithwood, Lucy Hitz Denning, Ali Fulreader, and Annie Mears Abbott celebrated their 40th birthday together in Cancun, Mexico. They wish happy birthday to all of their classmates celebrating a milestone birthday. ✹ Mary Warlaumont Thom ran into Gabe Adams ’06, her freshman-year HR, at a Little League softball game. They realized they had both been living in Charlottesville, Va., for at least 10 years without running into each other. ✹ Elisa Chiniara created a Jan Plan for herself last fall, traveling around Greece for a month and participating in the olive harvest on Crete to make premium olive oil. She’s also happy to be connected back to Colby by advising students at the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship this year. ✹ Stephanie Finn splits time between Portland, Maine, and Cape Town, South Africa. Jordan Levinson also lives in Cape Town, and they regularly get together. They discovered they both live in Cape Town when Jordan submitted an update to Colby magazine for our class notes! ✹ I hope more people share even a simple update about where they’re living for future class notes because you never know who might be right around the corner!

From Elyse Apantaku ’09 for Spring 2025: Nick Nassikas, M.D. and Sommer Engels, J.D. recently published a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine discussing how recent Supreme Court rulings affect public health. They have also collaborated on a series of legal briefs defending air-quality regulations issued by the Biden administration. ✹ Last summer Shirmila Cooray moved with her husband and two daughters from San Francisco to Raleigh, N.C. They are loving their new home, and Shirmila was happy to reconnect with Joanna Fisher-Whilden and other Colby folks in the Triangle. ✹ Benjamin Hauptman and I enjoyed seeing everyone at our 10th Reunion last spring!

• Katherine “Kathy” Rittner ’05, in Northampton, Mass., at 41. She pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a physician by graduating from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in Worcester in 2010 and completing her “med-peds” residency in four years at Baystate Medical Center. She thrived in the world of primary care and over the course of her career served Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska, as well as Indigenous people in Australia. She also served at a Christian clinic in Honduras, and for the last several years, she worked in clinics in Colorado and South Carolina. Her last position was at the Federal Prison Hospital in Devens, Mass. She had a passion for traveling, accomplishing her goal of doing some type of activity in each of the 50 states, and also visited England, continental Europe, Africa, Central America, and India. Other interests included chocolate, ice cream, ballet, and being outdoors. Living in a social world was a lifelong struggle, and she died after a long battle with depression. She leaves her parents and many friends.