Classnotes
50s
Richard E. Wiley (BS55), considered the “father of high-definition television,” was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Media Institute. As chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1970 to 1977, Wiley fostered increased competition and lessened regulations. He is the only person to serve as chairman, commissioner, and general counsel of the FCC and was called “the most influential media and telecommunications lawyer in the United States.”
70s
Ruth Ravid (MA76, PhD79), professor emerita at National Louis University, published the seventh edition of her college textbook Practical Statistics for Educators.
80s
Anita Thomas (BS89) was appointed provost of Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina.
90s
Jeanne M. VanBriesen (BS90, McCormick PhD98) was appointed dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Daniel J. Montgomery (MS93) was named executive director of the American Library Association.
Nora Hernandez (BS94) is a department clearance officer for the US Department of Labor and was previously a program analyst for the Employee Benefits Security Administration. She earned her law degree from the University of Iowa.
Caroline Kaker (BS94), director of program strategy for Sodexo and Captis, won the 2025 Rising Star Women Leaders in Healthcare award from Women We Admire.
Deanna (Ding) Alba (MA97) was named acting vice chancellor for marketing, communications, and community relations at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Amy Van Gelder (BS99) was named to the Crain’s Chicago Business 2025 notable litigators and trial attorneys list.
00s
Demetrius Sajous-Brady (MS00), an educator for three decades, teaches at Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago and provides enrichment as a private academic tutor.
Chala Holland (BS01), superintendent of Township High School District 113 in Highland Park, Illinois, was appointed to the Illinois State Police Merit Board by Governor JB Pritzker.
Matt MacDonald (BS01), president and global head of managed vision care for EyeMed, was named chair-elect of the Prevent Blindness board of directors.
Erin Clifford (BS02, MA23) is the author of Wellness Reimagined: A Holistic Approach to Health, Happiness, and Harmony, which made USA Today’s bestseller list.
Stefanie DeLuca (PhD02), a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University and one of the nation’s leading experts on housing mobility, vouchers, and policy, is the inaugural visiting scholar at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research.
Rebekah Stathakis (BS02), director of teacher preparation programs in SESP’s Teaching, Learning, and Education program, received the program’s first staff-of-the-year award. She grew up in Spain, Costa Rica, and Venezuela and came to the US for the first time to attend Northwestern, where she earned her degree in secondary teaching.
Amanda Laufer (BS07) joined Stinson LLP’s new Los Angeles office in the labor and employment division. For 12 years she was an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board.
10s
Bree Groff (MS14, pictured at top), a senior adviser to the global consultancy SYPartners, published her first book, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously).
Milvia Rodriguez (MS15) is executive program director of the Civic Leadership Academy and the Harris School public policy undergraduate program at the University of Chicago.
Emmalee Windle (BS16), a trauma therapist in Cincinnati, published her first book of poems. Edge is a story of embracing the resilience and strength that come from reclaiming one’s voice following experiences of sexual violence.
Kay Ramey (PhD17), assistant professor of learning sciences and educational psychology at the University of Iowa, received a 2025 James N. Murray Faculty Award.
Amanda (Morsch) Sparhawk (WCAS09, MS17) is a high school science curriculum designer for Chicago Public Schools.
Sumaia Masoom (BS18) is a senior manager at Visa and an MBA candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.
Ellen Furgis (BS19) is an investment manager at Gresham House in London.
Nicholas Leonardi (MS19), a PhD student in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was one of 30 participants in the 2025 Sandra K. Abell Institute for Doctoral Students hosted by SESP.
Christian Reyes (BS19) is a senior associate at Golub Capital.
20s
Christina Gutierrez (BS20) is associate director of admissions, recruitment, and outreach at Chicago State University.
Frances Hartnett (BS20) is a senior associate at Flatiron Search Partners.
Briana Jarnagin (MS21), operations manager for the consulting firm EduDream, was appointed to the Park Ridge (Illinois) Public Library’s board of trustees.
Marcela Callapina (MS22) is an academic adviser at Oakton College in Illinois, where she oversees transition programs such as orientation, welcome week, and first-year experience.
Mike Okun-Perlin (MS22, pictured below), senior student program coordinator in the biomedical engineering department at the McCormick School of Engineering, gave a poster presentation on increasing doctoral students’ sense of belonging at the National Academic Advising Association Region Five conference in Chicago.
Robert F. Read II (BS22) graduated summa cum laude from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and recently passed the Ohio bar exam. While in law school, he was editor in chief of the Case Western Reserve Law Review.
Addie Shrodes (PhD22) is messaging research manager for the Movement Advancement Project.
Nala Bishop (BS23, below) is program and outreach coordinator for the All-Stars Project of Chicago, which works in neighborhoods on the South and West Sides of the city that have been affected by poverty and violence. She says the organization is always looking to partner with businesses for development workshops and internships for young people.
Suyash Mohan (MS23) is an investor for Plug and Play Tech Center, an early-stage venture capital firm.
Sasha Benson (BS24) is a healthcare policy associate at Capital Street.
Caleb Mistir (BS24) is a compensation associate on the shared services team at PNC.
Yasmeen Mohammed Rafee (BS24) is a clinical case manager at Impact Behavioral Health Partners.
Claire Snyder (BS24) was selected by the Deloitte Foundation for the 2024 Student Athlete Leadership Experience, a development program helping female student athletes transition from athletic excellence to postathletics career success.
Lauren Walcott (BS24) is an intern with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation working in the office of Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
Anna Alava (BS25), a legal assistant for immigration law firm Ferreira Law, was named to the Tayo Fellows Summer 2025 cohort by the Filipino Young Leaders. She worked on projects related to online misinformation and public health.
Bryana Barry (MS25) is people and operations manager for Hive.
Brett Farmer (MS25) is student transition manager at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.
Please send all news updates and address changes to sespalums@northwestern.edu.
Or share your update and tag us with #SESPLove on Instagram (@sesp_nu), or X (@sesp_nu). For more class notes, visit sesp.northwestern.edu.