Alumni, we want to hear what you’ve been doing. Mail career, wedding, birth, and death news to Class Notes, Virginia Tech Alumni Association, Holtzman Alumni Center, 901 Prices Fork Rd., Blacksburg, VA 24061; email the news to classnotes@vt.edu; or submit the news online at vtmag.vt.edu/submit-classnote.php, where photos may also be uploaded for consideration.
Alumni mailing addresses may be viewed online at alumni.vt.edu/directory by logging in with your Virginia Tech PID and password. For assistance, call 540-231-6285.
1940s
career Christopher C. Kraft Jr., Houston, Texas, was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in April, three months prior to his death on 7/22/19.
1950s
career Mayer G. Levy, Seaford, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career Malcolm A. Cutchins, Auburn, Ala., was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who.
career Thomas T. Thompson, Hampton, Va., was honored with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Distinguished Alumni Award.
1960s
career Richard T. Crowder, Alexandria, Va., was reappointed the C.G. Thornhill Professor of Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech and received the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Distinguished Alumni Award.
career Albert B. Godfrey, Fuquay Varina, N.C., was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career Roger H. Moore, North Palm Beach, Fla., was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career William A. Aden, Blacksburg, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence.
career Robert A. Boynton, Richmond, Va., was appointed chair for the American Institute of Architects National Ethics Council and was awarded the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s highest honor, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.
career Ralph A. Lorenzetti, Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., was elected to the Jefferson County, W.Va., Commission.
1970s
career Carlton B. Morgan, Bainbridge Island, Wash., had his “Nearly Newtonian” series exhibited at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts.
career David O. Smith, Blacksburg, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Frederick E. Burton III, Marshville, N.C., was appointed state general program director for the Knights of Columbus in North Carolina.
career Gregory E. White, Chesterfield, Va., who died Nov. 9, 2017, was recognized posthumously by the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) of Fort Lee, Va. The DPW dedicated the building housing its headquarters to White, who was Fort Lee’s first civilian director of DPW and Logistics; White worked at DPW for over 30 years.
career John F. Sparks, Warrenton, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence.
career James T. “Tom” Brown Jr., Blacksburg, Va., retired as dean of students at Virginia Tech.
career William M. Cook, Eden Prairie, Minn., was appointed to the Board of Directors for Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. He will serve on the company’s Audit Committee and Environment, Health, Safety, and Sustainability Committee.
career Gregory E. Aliff, Reston, Va., was elected to the New Jersey Resources Board of Directors.
career Scott C. Erb, Alexandria, Va., invented a new type of recliner that will be sold by Creative Classics Furniture.
career Stephen L. Herbert, Herndon, Va., retired from Saab North America Inc. as vice president and CFO.
career Robert A. Saville, Boulder, Colo., received the Firefighter of the Year Award in 2016 and 2017 and the Member of the Year Award in 2018 from the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District.
career Bruce A. Sellars, Roanoke, Va., was elected president of the Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychology.
career William D. Wray, Kingwood, Texas, was awarded a U.S. patent for “systems and process for producing polyether polyols.”
career Christopher E. Mandel, College Grove, Tenn., was appointed to the George Mason University Chief Risk Officer Executive Development Program Advisory Board and faculty.
career Richard G. Randa, Saint Louis, Mo., joined Capital Forensics Inc.
career Hans C. Rott, Blacksburg, Va., was honored with emeritus status by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
career Peter B. Schultz, Virginia Beach, Va., was honored with emeritus status by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
career Henry N. Butler, Huntly, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career David L. Calhoun, Sunapee, N.H., was inducted into GE Aviation’s Propulsion Hall of Fame.
career Ronald C. Daughtrey, Suffolk, Va., Retired after 40 years as an agricultural education teacher with Suffolk, Va., schools.
1980s
career Raymond O. Cocke, Gretna, Va., retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after 39 years.
career Wanda Hankins Dean, Blacksburg, Va., was honored by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors with emerita status.
career Linda K. Holt, Sterling, Va., was honored on the Reuters billboard in Times Square in New York by the Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized.
career Douglas E. Atkinson, Xenia, Ohio, was selected as director of engineering for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
career Melanie Pearson Hurley, Alexandria, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career Judy S. Riffle, Blacksburg, Va., was honored by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors with emerita status.
career John L. Whitley, Williamsburg, Va., was presented the J. Blaine Blayton Award for Community Service at the 40th Annual NAACP Life Membership Banquet.
career Troy S. Kincer, Roanoke, Va., joined Mattern & Craig Engineers & Surveyors.
career Betty P. Chao, Albuquerque, N.M., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence.
career Jeffrey W. Farrar, Keswick, Va., was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of American National Bankshares Inc.
career Kathlene Hendon, Pittsburgh, Pa., is an advanced dietitian practitioner at UPMC Mercy Hospital.
career Newton S. Lee, Tujunga, Calif., is chairman of the California Transhumanist Party, and his book, “The Transhumanism Handbook,” was the No. 1 New Release in preventive medicine on Amazon.com.
career Laura L. Briggs MacMurdy, Herndon, Va., had her first book, “How to Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business,” published by Entrepreneur Press. She also delivered two TEDx talks on the freelance economy.
career Michael C. Collins, Orange, Va., created the Rapidan Institute.
career Thomas C. Terragno, Alpharetta, Ga., joined Korn Ferry as senior client partner.
career Vernon R. Tinsley, Summerfield, N.C., was named to “The Best Lawyers in America” 2018 edition and to the 2019 Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for his expertise in the environment.
career CAREER Karen Moser Coats, Cambridge, England, has been elected to a professorship of education and appointed director of the Centre for Research in Children’s Literature at the University of Cambridge.
career Douglas S. King, Wayzata, Minn., was named by the board of directors of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. as 2020 chair-elect.
career David J. Romola, Ashburn, Va., joined Citizant as senior vice president of operations.
career Kevin S. Crutchfield, Overland Park, Kan., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence.
career Eddie G. Dalton Jr., Geismar, La., was appointed as an expert in process safety for BASF Corp.
career Dwight Holland, Roanoke, Va., received the Kent Gillingham Award from the Aerospace Medical Association for significant contributions to advancing the art and science of situation Awareness and spatial disorientation over a career.
career Sharon Fraser Holt, Stuart, Fla., was appointed to the Infinera Board of Directors.
career Stephen J. Niezgoda Jr., Annandale, Va., was named chief operating officer of Cornerstone Defense.
career Erik M. Rosen, Vienna, Va., received the Institute for Defense Analyses 2019 Larry D. Welch Award for Best External Publication.
career Susan J. Vandewoude, Fort Collins, Colo., was selected to join the National Academy of Sciences.
career Michael B. East, Angier, N.C., was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
career Peggy A. Valentine, Winston-Salem, N.C., was named interim chancellor at Fayetteville State University.
birth Michael W. Tompkins, Herndon, Va., a daughter, 3/16/19.
career Gajanan V. Gandhe, Canton, Mich., joined Dana Inc. as country leader of Dana India.
career Nigel A. Greene, Elkins Park, Pa., will be speaking at the annual Arkansas Trucking Seminar.
career CAREER Jodi Barry, Duluth, Ga., traveled to Peru to host a teen drug prevention program.
career Catheryn M. Hockaday, Ames, Iowa, traveled to Peru to host a teen drug prevention program.
career Michelle L. Hoff Attreed, Manassas, Va., received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Virginia Women in Public Finance.
career Robert W. McKinney, Washington, La., has been elected as a regional director of the National Council of Architectural Registration Board.
career Frank L. Moeller, Troutville, Va., was hired to expand mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services in the Roanoke Dewberry Office.
1990s
career CAREER Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, Lancaster, Pa., wrote “Finding Your Voice: A Free Speech Comic” for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
career Brian J. Walter, Blacksburg, Va., was named to the 2019 class of the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Scott A. French, Carmel By The Sea, Calif., has been appointed president of the Land Mobile Radio Division of Codan Communications.
career Theodore S. Hanson, Richmond, Va., was appointed as the CEO of ASGN General.
career Clementina M. Perez-West, McLean, Va., has been recognized by Continental Who’s Who in the field of medicine as a dentist.
career William D. Hall, Springfield, Va., a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, retired in July.
career Deborah A. Hersman, Barrington, Ill., joined the NiSource Board of Directors.
career Steve M. Mollenkopf, San Diego, Calif., received Virginia Tech’s University Distinguished Achievement Award for 2019.
career Patrick K. Murphy, Arlington, Va., was named the superintendent of schools for Berkley County, W.Va.
career William D. Tyrrell Jr., Leesburg, Va., received the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s Lifetime Achievement Alumni Award.
career Geoffrey S. Pierce, Ashburn, Va., was appointed chief information security officer of Centauri.
career Florenz Plassmann, Vestal, N.Y., was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio University.
career Sanjay Sama, San Francisco, Calif., joined Kingsley Gate Partners.
career CAREER Teyu Chou, Puli, Taiwan, was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Science Hall of Distinction.
career Todd W. Rowley, Tysons Corner, Va., was named Capital Region market executive of Old Dominion National Bank.
career Stephanie Jackson Watts, Alton, Va., served as an instructor with Kids Kollege, a summer arts program in South Boston, Va.
career Kelly M. Dickerson, Alexandria, Va., graduated with honors from the Army War College in Carlisle, Penn.
career John M. Ennis, Great Mills, Md., assumed command of Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One (HX-21) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
career Paul E. Martin Jr., Columbia, Md., joined Facet Wealth as the chief technology officer.
career Jennifer R. Wayne, Chantilly, Va., was appointed head of the Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics in the College of Engineering.
career Alan W. Estes, Avondale, Pa., is director of data science practice at DecisivEdge.
career Brian E. Gittens, Waunakee, Wis., was named vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
career Brian S. Manley, Wake Forest, N.C., was named the head of field development for GreenLight Biosciences Inc.
career Dennis P. Reilly, Skillman, N.J., was appointed chief financial officer at Agile Therapeutics.
career Steven N. Bathiche, Bellevue, Wash., launched the Microsoft Surface Hub 2.
career Geoffrey K. Waldmiller, Prospect, Ky., was appointed vice president of revenue optimization at RoomIt by CWT.
career John R. Freeborn, Newport, Va., was named director of employer relations for Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.
career Matthew J. Lenihan, Baltimore, Md., is vice president of leasing with St. John Properties.
career Lori M. Lyons-Williams, Menlo Park, Calif., was appointed to the board of directors at Five Prime Therapeutics.
career Lisa M. Thorne, Stafford, Va., was named director of financial services for Prince William County Public Schools.
career Christopher S. Vandergoot, Huron, Ohio, was named director of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System—as part of this appointment, he will be an associate professor at Michigan State University.
career Susan D. Day, Indianapolis, Ind., was honored by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors with emerita status.
career Matthew S. “Kernal” Griswold, Severna Park, Md., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Melissa D. Kidd, Coral Springs, Fla., is senior vice president of electrical raceways sales for Atkore International.
career Crystal McCoy Price, Christiansburg, Va., is an associate director in Thalhimer’s Roanoke office.
2000s
career Susan K. Learn, Haddon Township, N.J., was named the 2019 Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year for medium-sized companies.
career Jaime M. O”Keefe, Arlington, Va., was named senior director of communications for the Technical Solutions Division of Huntington Ingalls Industry.
career Bryan W. Wender, Ashland, Ore., was named chief of natural resource management at New River Gorge.
career Michelle E. Meadows, Richmond, Va., was named Longwood University’s director of athletics.
career Christy H. Betz, Rancho Cordova, Calif., was hired as the assistant executive director for the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission.
career Zeynep K. Erdal, Irvine, Calif., was named integrated solutions leader in Black & Veatch’s water business.
career Abbi Leinwand Haggerty, Richmond, Va., was named the executive director of the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance.
career Heidi S. Leming, Brentwood, Tenn., received the 2019 John Jones Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer.
career Matthew J. Ormsby, Annapolis, Md., was promoted to associate at Moseley Architects.
career Thomas B. Ross, New York, N.Y., was named Young Architect of the Year by the Architect Institute of America.
career Erin L. Surprise, Minneapolis, Minn., was named senior vice president of professional services at Provation.
career Mark E. Williams, Virginia Beach, Va., was hired by Liebherr USA as a regional sales manager.
birth Coreen R. McGrann Carraway, Alexandria, Va., a daughter, 07/17/19.
birth Julia S. Wolff Hatmaker, Catonsville, Md., a daughter, 05/06/19.
birth Rhonada K. Rusmisel Weaver, Roanoke, Va., a daughter, 06/27/19.
career Carrie L. Heizer Kiser, Middlebrook, Va., was appointed as senior vice president of First Bank & Trust Co.
Diana Lyn C. McGraw, Virginia Beach, Va., joined Fox Rothschild LLP as an associate in the Litigation Department.career David M. Wong, Blacksburg, Va., was named the department head for large animal clinical sciences at Virginia Tech.
birth Paul A. Carlson, Washington, D.C., a daughter, 05/12/19.
birth Kelly J. Corace, Charlotte, N.C., a son, 05/27/19.
birth Gregory H. Reif, Wayne, Pa., a son, 09/06/18.
career Harsha K. Rajasimha, Herndon, Va., founded the Organization for Rare Diseases in India.
birth Aaron M. Teitelbaum, Newtown, Conn., a daughter, 5/04/19.
birth John Winstead and Ashley Goodroe Winstead ’08, Hayes, Va., a son, 5/16/19.
career MaryBeth A. Farquhar, Sterling, Va., has joined the American Urological Association as executive vice president of research, quality, and scientific affairs.
career Isaac C. Rickman, Cleveland, Ga., was promoted to vice president of operations for Atlanta Hardwood Corp. and was elected vice president of the Southern Cypress Manufacturers Assoc.
birth Erin Hawkinson Bracken and Morgan Levi Bracken, Arlington, Va., a son, 5/23/19.
birth Jennifer Carty, Salem, Va., a son, 4/18/19.
birth Matthew R. Frengs, Lincoln, Neb., a son, 6/24/19.
career Randall E. Cone, Salisbury, Md., earned the University System of Maryland’s highest faculty accolade, the Regents’ Award for Excellence.
career Kristian E. Spannhake, Baltimore, Md., was named the chair of Mission Advancement for the Urban Land Institute, Baltimore District Council.
birth Mark C. Helton, Virginia Beach, Va., a son, 10/11/17; a daughter, 7/14/2019.
birth Ethan A. Lavery, Haymarket, Va., a son, 3/22/19.
career CAREER Nikeshia Womack Arthur, Christiansburg, Va., was named director of Services for Students with Disabilities at Virginia Tech.
career Daniel J. Lentz, Newbury Park, Calif., developed Aqua Paw and was featured on Shark Tank.
career Albert E. Brown Jr., Montclair, N.J., was featured on CBS discussing the Clothing Boutique Center that was implemented at Berkeley College.
career Bryan C. McVey, Chicago, Ill., is vice president of mechanical engineering at Incredible Technologies.
career Brandie M. Schaeffer, Warrenton, Va., is town manager of Warrenton, Va.
career Christopher B. Stacy, Bluefield, W.Va., is superintendent of Tazewell County, Va., Public Schools.
career Kathryn G. Thomas, Winchester, Va., joined Coldwell Banker Premier as a sales associate.
birth Lindsey Woodburn Brown and Christopher M. Brown ’10, Henrico, Va., a daughter, 10/29/18.
birth Ashley Myers Hood, Richmond, Va., a daughter, 4/17/19.
birth Tiffany Francis Reaves, Williamsburg, Va., a daughter, 5/17/19.
career Tasmin S. Fanning, Crozet, Va., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Melissa A. Brown Stefaniak, Astoria, N.Y., founded the company Single Baked Sweets.
career Andrew W. Weaver, High Point, N.C., was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Sheneeta W. White, Cottage Grove, Minn., was appointed associate vice provost for student achievement at the University of St. Thomas.
birth Jeremy A. Davis and Amanda Gurtis Davis, New York, N.Y., a daughter, 5/10/19.
birth Emma Lee Katherine Melson Gilbert and Scot S. Gilbert ’10, Mooresville, N.C., a daughter, 5/30/19.
birth Rachelle P. Walker and Ben Walker ’10, Arlington, Va., a son, 5/16/19.
2010s
career Sarah H. Glass, Richmond, Va., was named the Revere Scholar at the VCU School of Dentistry.
career Adam T. Kendrick, Hopewell, Va., was named Outstanding Recent Alumnus for the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences.
career Shannon M. McCabe, Toano, Va., received the Young Forester Leadership Award from the Appalachian Society of American Foresters.
career Claire M. White, Blacksburg, Va., contributed to the fourth edition of “Land Development Handbook.”
career Caroline L. Wilhoit Eschenbach, Virginia Beach, Va., won the Milken Educator Award.
wedding Collins Mehfoud and Kathryn Slaughter Mehfoud ’13, Champaign, Ill., 5/31/19.
birth Michael D. Curling, Roswell, Ga., a daughter, 6/06/19.
career Grant T. Bischof, Cambridge, Mass., received his MBA from Harvard Business School and is working at Bain & Company in Atlanta.
career Joshua A. Hartsel, Lake Forest, Calif., was named chief science officer at Chemesis International Inc.
career Claire A. Simeone, Sausalito, Calif., the first veterinarian to become a TED Fellow, received the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Outstanding Recent Alumni Award.
wedding Nathan M. Postman and Kelsey Lynette Lund ’12, Blacksburg, Va., 7/12/19.
birth Ian K. Barnes and Caitlin Anne Boyle Barnes, Toano, Va., a son, 4/23/19.
birth Tiffany P. Ritchie and Ross Loyal Ritchie, Mount Pleasant, S.C., a son, 5/06/19.
career Amanda R. Belyea, Quicksburg, Va., was named assistant county administrator in Shenandoah County, Va.
career Saurav Kumar, El Paso, Texas, joined the Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center at El Paso as a water specialist and associate professor.
career Brooke M. Leonard, Washington, D.C., joined WSLS-TV as a sports reporter.
wedding Gregory J. Sullivan and Lauren Gorman, North Providence, R.I., 6/26/19.
birth Brittany L. Quigg, Kailua, Hawaii, a son, 6/19/19.
career William A. Forbes, Charlotte, N.C., joined the Siegfried Group as a senior associate in the Charlotte market.
career W.E. McAllister, Blacksburg, Va., created Skyphos Technologies.
career Dana K. Stevens, Goodview, Va., was named principal at Mount Pleasant Elementary School by the Roanoke County School Board.
birth Catherine Wedd “Cassie” Wagner, Blacksburg, Va., a daughter, 6/21/19.
career Ashley R. Taylor, Blacksburg, Va., was named a 2019 Bouchet Honor Society Scholar.
career Kristen F. Wereszynski, Blacksburg, Va., joined Savannah Animal Hospital as a veterinarian.
birth Nicholas B. Warren, Dexter City, Ohio, a son, 3/17/19.
career Juvenal E. Abrego, Glen Allen, Va., was named principal of Greene Elementary School by Richmond Public Schools.
career Laura E. Balis, Lander, Wyo., joined the Cooperative Extension Service of Arkansas as a health specialist.
career Victoria M. Childress, Salt Lake City, Utah, had her poem, “Marvell, Arkansas, June 2006,” published in “Lingering in the Margins: A River City Poets Anthology.”
career Kevin R. Draudt, Richmond, Va., joined Atlas Financial as a financial advisor.
career Cody A. Pennetti, Charlottesville, Va., contributed to the fourth edition of “Land Development Handbook.”
career Aydin Aysu, Austin, Texas, created the cryptographic hardware design course at N.C. State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
career Jessica M. Bourscheid, Blacksburg, Va., was named the 2019 Elementary New Teacher of the Year in Loudoun County, Va.
career Ryan B. Mutcheson, Salem, Va., was named assistant dean at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
career Gabriel J. Pent, Crewe, Va., was named superintendent of Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
career Brandon L. Flowers, Blacksburg, Va., was named to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
career Camille T. Schrier, Newtown, Pa., won Miss Virginia 2019.
career Mary E. “Libbie” Sonnier-Netto, New Orleans, La., became the executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.
career Clayton C. Terry, Blacksburg, Va., is a generalist with Farm Credit of the Virginias.
Save the Dates: Fall alumni events
Sept. 4
●Hokies in 757
Sept. 7
●Pamplin College of Business Tailgate
●Multicultural Alumni Tailgate
Sept. 12
●Women in Business
Sept. 14
●Corps of Cadets Reunion
●Vet Med Tailgate
Sept. 27
●Chapter Officers Forum
●College of Architecture and Urban Studies Tailgate
●Family Relations Tailgate
●College of Science Tailgate
Sept. 28
●HokieTalks
Oct. 2
●Hokies in Federal Government
Oct. 10-11
●Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board Meeting
Oct. 17-18
●Class of 1969 50th Reunion
●Highty-Tighty Reunion
●Homecoming
●College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Tailgate
●College of Engineering Tailgate
●College of Natural Resources Tailgate
●College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
●Graduate School Tailgate
●Ex Lapide Tailgate
●Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Tailgate
For more information, including a complete listing of events, visit alumni.vt.edu/events.