1998 Class Notes for 2021
Maureen Manning Albright works for PwC located in Chicago. She is a Client Relationship Executive focused on cyber and legal sectors. Her husband, John, is the Chief Legal Officer of Hub International, also located in Chicago. They live on the North Shore and have two daughters, Shannon (a freshman in high school), and Kathleen (fourth grade). They are “a family that loves to travel internationally and play golf!”
Tonisha Gilliard currently lives in Charleston, SC. She closed her boutique immigration law practice in 2016 and began her journey as a real estate broker in North and South Carolina. She is a luxury and residential property specialist with Berkshire Hathaway in Mt. Pleasant, SC and Charlotte, NC, helping investors with commercial real estate as well. She is now expanding her operations to Belize. She has been to the Caribbean on and off since 2003. She is enjoying her real estate career change and being a top producer in the market. Tonisha is in the process of launching a Caribbean inspired canned cocktail line called Tipsy Lady. It is certified with NMSDC and WBENC. In her downtime, she continues to travel to the Caribbean. When she’s not on someone’s beach abroad, she is enjoying one of five beaches in Charleston, mainly Isle of Palms or Kiawah Island. Photo: Tonisha Gilliard
Karen Eggert Templeton is the Director of Communications for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Provost. She started in the role just three months before the pandemic. So, her job has been primarily building communication strategies around the university’s plans for educating students and continuing operations, while keeping the community safe. She spent a lot of time outside of work volunteering for political campaigns, focusing primarily on diversifying representation on a city, state, and national level. Some campaigns include Doug Jones for Senate, Lucy McBath for Georgia’s 6th, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for Senate. She also managed the campaign for a City Council member in her area. Karen and her husband, Brian, have two children, Joseph (11) and Cora (9), along with their sweet rescue dog, Phoebe. They are pretty home-bound right now due to the pandemic but are looking forward to a lot of travel in the near future.
Renée Wolforth has been working in humanitarian aid for the last 10 years and living outside of the US for almost the last five years. She fell in love with Athens (and Greece) about three years ago, and then with a Greek. She married Grigoris Efstratiou in February 2020. She worked for Oxfam on their Bangladesh program remotely most of 2020, due to COVID. Now she is working on transitioning from mostly field work to something home-based/remote from Athens with some travel, which is challenging! She and her husband are currently walking 2-3 mi a day and had gotten to the woods about once a week, until new restrictions ended that in March. Also, she has been trying to run regularly and to learn Greek. Running is surprisingly easier. She is also desperately missing her parents and so many girlfriends due to COVID. She can’t wait for visitors later this year and beyond.
Molly Morrison has spent the last two decades in non-profit development for organizations in the US and Europe focused on international development, as well as children’s rights and education including UNICEF, Sightsavers, and the Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In 1999, she earned a degree in International Peace Studies from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. What was meant to be one year abroad, turned into 11, during which time she met her husband. They returned to the US in 2010 and live in Boston with their son Patrick (8). For the last four years, she has served as the Chief Development Officer for iCivics, which works to ensure every American student is informed and inspired for life-long civic engagement. Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009, iCivics’ free resources are used by more than 8 million students each year, in all 50 states. Photo: Molly and her family.
Jillian (Wrobel) Mackling still works for the Virginia Department of Corrections. She was promoted to Deputy Chief Probation Officer in 2018 and she now works in the Alexandria Office. Retirement is only a few years away. She and her husband, Jerry, celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in 2020. Their son, Damon, recently turned 13 and continues to play ice hockey. His team traveled to Charlotte, NC, Tampa, FL, and Charleston, SC this past season. Jillian and Jerry love watching him do what he loves.
Marchelle Lumpkin-Mucha has been District Special Education Supervisor at Fairborn City School District in Ohio for the past three years. Marchelle is also co-owner of BOSH (Body, Organic, Science and Hair). BOSH makes natural skin products and hosts soap-making classes for kids to teach them about STEM. Her husband, Edward (Ed) Mucha, a retired police officer, is an assistant football coach for Trotwood-Madison High School (State division three champs two times in three years). Ed legally adopted Marchelle’s daughter, Keryn, many years ago. Keryn graduated from Bethel University in 2019 and works at the Orthopedic Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN. She is now back in school pursuing a nursing degree. Keryn lives in Decatur, Indiana with her daughter Olivia, and fiancé Keith. Yes, Marchelle is a grandma (aka Duchess)! The family will celebrate Keryn and Keith’s wedding in September this year in Dayton, OH.
Brenda Mejia-Smith is living with her husband, Michael, and her son, Ellison, in Plainsboro NJ, about five min from Princeton University where she works. She is in the counseling center and provides therapy to undergraduate and graduate students. She loves her job and living in NJ. She was in Manhattan for almost 20 years and was ready for more space. She and her family moved into their new home last summer. She is so glad that they did because they have a backyard for her son and dog.
Meredith “Meri” Grube marked 14 years at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo NY this past March. She is the Manager of Advancement Services. When she is not helping to raise millions for the museum she is “crocheting obsessively” or cozying up with her beloved cat, Frances. You can check out her work at https://madcrafting.tumblr.com/
Photo: Meri Grube
Rebekah Vieira has been working as an attorney in-house for a Fortune 500 telecommunications company for 15 years this year. In 2017, she gave up managing people to support a domestic technology and innovation initiative as an individual contributor. This year, she started work on investments and joint venture arrangements and feels like a “baby lawyer” again. In June of 2015, she welcomed her son, Shippen, into the world. “He’s growing into a sweet, smart, and spirited six-year-old,” who certainly keeps her on her toes, but “brings so much joy!” He was home with her while she worked remotely when COVID hit, but he started in-person kindergarten in September 2020, which has really helped her get work done! Lastly, Rebekah found “an adorable house” in Carlisle, MA where she and Shippen were able to move in October 2020.
Ann Marie Machion lives and works in New Jersey as a Behavior Specialist providing therapy to children and their families. This past year she and her colleagues started offering telehealth services, “which has been great, but sometimes challenging.” She was scheduled to go to Italy with her sister and her sister’s family last year but had to cancel due to the pandemic. In 2018, Ann Marie took one of her nieces to Paris and London and joined her sister and her family in 2019 on their summer vacation to Portugal and Spain, which was “amazing.” She also got to spend a weekend up in Boston with Rebekah Viera and Rebekah’s son a few years ago and hopes to get to visit her again soon. She also meets Kelly Maia every so often for lunch/dinner to chat and just catch up. She looks forward to the next reunion!
Sherri Anna (Martin) Brown is currently living on Capitol Hill with her husband, James (JB), and youngest daughter, Amber, who is a budding artist. Her oldest daughter, Anna, is in college in Ohio studying Media Arts. Sherri Anna is the Associate Dean of Student Success at NOVA Alexandria Campus and served as Interim Dean of Students for several months. She also teaches as an adjunct instructor at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She is currently active in her sorority, participating in various committees for neighborhood schools, researching family genealogy and taking Spanish classes online.
Nikka (Yakowicz) Kowidge married Tony (Hodge) Kowidge in July 1998, combining their last names to create Kowidge. Soon after, they adopted a dog, Wishbone, and moved to Brooklyn, NY. Nikka has been in the education sector for over 20 years, initially as Center Director and then, Region Manager for an after school tutoring program. In 2007, she began post graduate work and received her teaching certification. Then, she served as an elementary classroom teacher in public and Catholic schools. Nikka and Tony moved to Middletown, NY in 2012. Her long held hope to be a mother came when her daughter, Helen, was born in 2014, and again in 2016 with the birth of her son, Elmer. Currently, Nikka facilitates virtual school for her children, teaches English online, and tries to fit spinning and yoga into “pandemic life,” while volunteering when she can with local, state and national political campaigns. Photo (left): Nikka with her son Elmer, husband Tony and daughter Helen. Photo (right): Nikka, Helen, Elmer and Sister Mary Hayes in May of 2019.