In September 2021,
John Stout '82 was featured in the Williamsburg’s Next Door Neighbor Magazine, where the theme was “Arts”. The article chronicles how John found himself doing four of his favorite activities: Emceeing, photographing, playing softball, and making those around him laugh… all at the same time! To read the article about John on pages 49-51,
click here.
Bill Francavilla ’98 was recently featured on the cover of the November 2021 edition of
Williamsburg’s Next Door Neighbor Magazine. The month’s theme was “Thankfulness” and the article follows Bill’s journey from being a History major in college, to selling insurance, to him becoming a Pastor at Living Hope Church in Williamsburg. To read the article,
click here.
Mackenzie ‘07 and
Miles Suttle ’06 not only welcomed their newborn into the world, but they were featured in a Wavy TV article for the occasion! Shepard Miles Suttle became the 2021st baby born in 2021 at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA on September 22nd. To view the story,
click here.
After her July wedding, the following month
Jordan Lipinski ‘11 started her position as News Producer for KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Washington. KOMO 4 News is an ABC News affiliate.
On April 12, 2021, The National Black Lawyers (NBL) selected S
tites & Harbison, PLLC attorney
Jordan Gilliam ’12 as a
Top 40 Under 40 honoree. NBL’s
Top 40 Under 40 honorees represent attorneys from each state or region and are nominated based on: outstanding professional reputation, notable achievements as a lawyer and be active in state or national specialty lawyer organizations. Jordan is an attorney in Stites & Harbison’s Lexington, Ky., office where he is a member of the Real Estate & Banking Service Group. He assists clients with wide-ranging real estate needs, including land acquisition, zoning, development and leasing matters.
In January 2021,
Courtney Gardner ’85 was named the new director of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts.
Click here to read more.
On November 9,2020,
Dr. Céline Gounder ‘93 was appointed to the COVID-19 Advisory Board by U.S. president-elect Joe Biden. Céline is an infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist, and assistant professor at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. She is also the Founder, CEO, and President of Just Human Productions, a non-profit organization that elevates public health coverage beyond traditional media. Since being selected for the incoming administration's Advisory Board, she has been in discussions that prioritize resolving racial inequalities, keeping schools open as safely as possible, and restoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the premier public health agency. Céline was also honored to participate in the first-ever TIME Person of the Year Debates, which you and read about
here and view
here. To read more about her plans to navigate the Biden-Harris administration through the pandemic, check out this
New York Times article.
Leticia Foster '02 has been named to the STANDOUT Class of 2020 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The award recognizes active and engaged Charlotte, NC area young professionals and philanthropists who exemplify leadership qualities, excel in their industry, and most importantly, dedicate their time and energy to the Charlotte community. Leticia, along with her peers in the Class of 2020, will be recognized during a virtual celebration on Thursday, October 29. To learn more about STANDOUT, details on the celebration, or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,
click here.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude as an Integrated Science and Technology Major with a double concentration in Energy and Environment from James Madison University in 2020,
Kayla Rutherford '16 can now add published author to her resume. Her first book in a trilogy,
Blood of Power, is a young adult science fiction novel about a young girl and a tragic fate. The second book is on its way, as well as an audio version of the first book. For more information regarding Kayla’s book and signing dates, you can find her on Facebook or Instagram at
kayla_rutherford06.
Jeff Stout ‘15 is living in Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles, California for his new position as Associate Engineer in Manufacturing with
SpaceX.
In 2019,
Rachel Braig '14, known by her artistic alias
Essy, began releasing her solo material, racking up over 4 million streams and 75,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Essy’s first EP “
Second Thoughts” dropped in May 2020 and is available on all streaming platforms, while her second EP is to follow later in the year.
After graduating from college for psychology and film,
Rebecca Schell '13 started to get into acting in NYC. She began working as the background on tv shows like
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,
Quantico, and more. She then started doing modeling work. In January 2020, she was featured on
Season 18; Episode 4: The Ultimate Upcycle of
Project Runway, the hit reality television series that focuses on fashion design. Rebecca was chosen to model by Karlie Kloss, who is a fashion model, entrepreneur and judge on the show.
Mahari Chabwera ‘13 is an artist living and working between Newport News and Richmond, Virginia. She’s the 2019-2020 recipient of the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship, and the 2020 recipient of the
Visual Arts Center Emerging Artist Award. Along with her other art pieces and murals, she has been collaborating with
Asa Jackson ‘07 at The Contemporary Arts Network center as a
2020-2021 CAN Foundation First Patron Artist in Residence.
William Steinberger ‘12, a Ph.D. student in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan, has been awarded a Second Place prize in the
Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Technology R&D. His award-winning research paper, “
Imaging Special Nuclear Material using a Handheld Dual Particle Imager,” was published in the journal
Scientific Reports in February 2020.
In April 2020,
Matthew Rivera '12 debuted a new podcast called
Loud 24/7. It’s a trio of LOUD people discussing current events, curious topics, and listener’s choices. They invite you to come be LOUD with them on new weekly episodes every Friday morning! Available on
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout.
The Virginian-Pilot came out with their Inside Business’s
“2019 Top 40 under 40” list and local artist
Asa Jackson ‘07 was one featured. He is the president and co-founder of the Contemporary Arts Network, which hopes to empower artists, patrons and the community at large through the arts and has opened an arts center this year. For more on his current project:
https://www.thecontemporaryartsnetwork.com/ In February 2020,
Andy Churray ‘05 became the new Wichita administrator for
Vagabond Missions, a nonprofit which seeks to break the cycle of neglect, violence, and broken families often faced by inner-city teens. Read more about the company
here.
Emily Goodson ‘03 is the Founder & CEO of the client-focused, culture-shaping consulting company
CultureSmart, based out of Santa Monica, California.
Nicole Lamberson '96 is a Physician Assistant in Virginia, serving on the Medical Advisory Board for the nonprofit organization
Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (
benzoinfo.com). Nicole joined the outreach team of the documentary film,
Medicating Normal, which reveals the untold story of the potentially disastrous consequences that can occur when for-profit medicine intersects with human beings in distress. It is currently premiering in film festivals.
medicatingnormal.com In May 2020,
Bryan Doerries ‘94 premiered Theater of War Productions’ initiative,
The Oedipus Project, on Zoom as a catalyst for powerful, guided conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals, families, and communities. When
Oedipus the King was first performed, the audience would have been recovering from a plague that killed nearly one-third of the Athenian population. Seen through this lens, the play might be as relevant now as it was in its own time.
https://theaterofwar.com/schedule/the-oedipus-project
EPIDEMIC is a weekly podcast that premiered in March, hosted by
Dr. Celine Gounder ’93, about the Coronavirus. The podcast helps explain the latest science, the bigger context and brings diverse angles- from history and anthropology to politics and economics. Celine is an infectious disease specialist who has worked on tuberculosis and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, and was an Ebola worker during the West African epidemic.
Mike Robert ‘91 is living the dream, traveling on his 40 ft. sailboat with his wife and two children. Their permanent home is in Denver, CO, where Mike maintains the headquarters for his production company
De Ja Vu Media, Inc.. Among his awards are 21 Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and 4 North American Promax Awards. Read his blog about his latest travels:
https://openhandssailing.blogspot.com/ and catch this
recent TV interview with Mike’s children about their brush with Tropical Storm Bertha aboard their boat.
2 photographs by
John Lee Matney ’83 were featured in the book
Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture. One of his photographs is of Jeremy Ayers, who the author says is the single most important figure in the Athens art and music scene. The other photo is of artist Patrick Keim.
The Virginian Pilot announced
The 2020 Inside Business Power List (The Next 50) in May 2020 and featured was
Wendy Drucker ‘76, who is a third generation, 39-year firm veteran and Managing Director, passionate about
Drucker+Falk’s role in providing quality housing to more than 100,000 residents.
Jimmy Lee ’69 was recognized by
Best Lawyers in America as 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Bankruptcy Litigation for the Dallas/Ft. Worth region. Jimmy now serves as Counsel to the international law firm
Vinson & Elkins, residing in its Dallas, Texas office, having retired as a partner of the firm at the end of 2018.
Dr. Erica Merriam Elliott ‘66 released her book, “Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert!” in 2019 and has since narrated and produced an audio version. The audiobook is for sale on Audible.com and on the iTunes app, while all of the versions of the book are available on Amazon.
was inducted on the HRA Wall of Honor during the Founders' Day Assembly on April 19, 2018. He is
National Business Aviation Assoc. has named
at Founders' Day on April 20, 2017. Barclay initiated and continues to organize the annual Alumni vs. Varsity soccer games at HRA, thus keeping several alumni involved with each other and the school.
of the University of Richmond Swimming & Diving team will be part of an elite group after being named to the Maccabi USA squad for the 20th World Maccabiah Games this summer in Israel. (04-17)
found great success as an opera singer in Atlanta. She also founded "small opera company." Please check it out on Facebook (FB/smalloperacompany) and
.
was featured in an article by the Daily Press in April 2016. Saxon is an award-winning garden photographer in California and was a featured speaker at the Virginia Living Museum's 50th anniversary event on April 24. He also came to HRA on Monday, April 25, 2016 to work with two student photography classes.
are excited about the opening of the Tradition Brewing Co. in June 2016, as the first craft beer venture in Newport News. They are part of a group of investors and Gray will be the operations manager.
is hiking the Appalachian Trail throughout the sping and summer of 2016 before attending law school at William & Mary is August 2016. His quest is about raising awareness and money for a veterans' organization.
performed recently (May 2016) at the Williamsburg Music Club benefit concert. She graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is working on a master's of music in piano performance at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, where she is also an associate instructor. She is making aname for herself in the music world. She has won numerous awards, performing as a soloist, soloist with orchestra, and vocal and instrumental accompanist.