Classnotes

80s

Dan Galante (MSED87) was named head football coach at Lawrence University.

90s

Teressa Alexander (BS94) is an obstetrician and gynecologist at Illinois's OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center.

Tricia Catalino (BS94, FSM96) is president of the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy through 2029. She is dean of the Graduate College of Health Sciences at Hawai'i Pacific University.

Kwei Akuete (BS95) is a senior document validation specialist supporting disaster recovery efforts for the US government.

Tara Haas (BS95) is chief of staff at Semrush Holdings, a software company that helps businesses improve their online visibility.

Debi Brooks (MS97) was appointed cochair of the Emerging Technology Advisory Board focused on biotechnology by New York governor Kathy Hochul. She is cofounder and CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

00s

Kathleen Snow (BS00) teaches at the Washington Alternative Learning Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Donna Ioffredo (BS01) was promoted to partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Michael Vea (BS01) is a design partner at Transcend, where he works with communities to transform schools from an industrial model of education to 21st-century learner-centered systems. He earned his doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Amanda Brimmer (BS02, Kellogg07) is CFO, leasing advisory, and head of corporate development for commercial real estate and investment management company JLL. She is also a director for the Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Greater Rockford.

Martine Wells (BS03), a shareholder with global law firm Greenberg Traurig, was named to 5280 magazine's 2026 list of the top attorneys in Denver.

Gia DiGiacobbe (BS05) is director of curriculum design and implementation for the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

Courtney Syskowski (MS08) is the academic program development manager in the provost's office at the University of Pittsburgh.

Ray Mitic (MS09) is assistant professor of higher education at the College of William & Mary, where he teaches in the master's and doctoral programs.

Quinton Sprull (BS09) is chief of staff at AnitaB.org, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women and undervalued communities in technology worldwide. With president and CEO Brenda Darden Wilkerson (McCormick85), he guides such initiatives as the annual Grace Hopper Celebration focused on tech inclusion and leadership.

10s

Julie Kornfeld (BS11) is chief operating officer for Building Tomorrow, an organization focused on community-powered learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. A human rights advocate for the past decade, she codirected the Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights, the largest human rights conference run and attended by undergraduates in the country. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan.

Jane Merrill (BS12) is director of trial court litigation and senior appellate counsel at the Center for Appellate Litigation in New York City.

Emily Roskey (BS12) is a licensed social worker and psychotherapist in Seattle, specializing in adolescence and young adulthood. She also offers ecotherapy and Reiki healing.

Joan DeGennaro (BS13) is director of community and events for Scale Venture Partners in San Francisco and cofounded the Platform Team. Previously, she spent five years at Y Combinator, where she worked on a startup school and led a nonprofit focused on sanitation access in rural India.

Gillian Feldmeth (BS13) is senior manager of policy and innovation at Cook County Health's CountyCare.

Adriana Stanovici (BS13) is director of global relations for the YMCA of the USA, where she strengthens global partnerships, intercultural learning, and community engagement.

Robert Barnes (BS15) is assistant professor of anesthesiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Jennifer Katz (BS15) is an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She focuses on the intersection of law and technology, including issues related to artificial intelligence, data privacy, and security.

Anisa Mian (BS15) is chief of staff at Koda Health. She was previously senior manager of strategic initiatives for Rock Health.

Jason Patrick-Smith (BS15) is an education manager for the Walt Disney Company. He has worked in environmental education for a decade and is especially passionate about fostering connections between people and nature.

Spencer Carlson (BS16, PhD21) is a senior researcher at Netflix.

Garrett Goehring (BS17) is senior product marketing manager at restaurant management software company Toast. He previously developed and operated a ghost kitchen concept as the founder of G Squared.

Sloan Middleton Mann (BS17, Kellogg25) recently earned her MBA and founded the Business of Vintage to help resale businesses compete with retail.

Camille Cooley (BS18) and Scott Renshaw (McCormick18) were married in June 2025. Cooley leads policy and county engagement at Kaiser Permanente Medi-Cal for the Bay Area.

Franklin Gaglione (MS19) is executive director at the Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation.

Helena Kalman (BS19) is manager for reimbursement strategy, payment, and policy for MCRA, which helps companies develop and get approval for medical products. She's also a certified professional medical billing coder.

Carson Rogge (BS19) is a resident pediatric physician at Texas Children's Hospital. She wants to use her background in neuroscience and learning sciences to integrate educational tools into developmental pediatrics.

Jamilah Silver (BS19) is assistant professor in the psychology and neuroscience department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Founding director of the Developmental Research in Irritability and Psychopathology Lab, she has won numerous awards, including the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology Researcher Award and the Clinical Science Student Training Award.

20s

Jared Zvonar (BS20) is development manager for Leeward Renewable Energy.

Wayland Lum (MS21) was appointed managing director of FMG Leading, a consulting firm that helps healthcare companies develop their leaders and workforce to improve how healthcare is delivered.

Sloane Barry (BS22) appeared on Shark Tank to pitch Somnia+, a bed expander kit design to make dorm beds more functional and comfortable. Barry and partner Brennan Hellmers secured a deal with investor Barbara Corcoran for $100,000 in exchange for a 17.5 percent stake. Barry works in marketing for i3 Verticals.

Mike Bearden (BS22), a former offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns, was named coaching fellow and offensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons.

Rosalie Shyu (MS22), a Knowles Teaching Fellow and former mechanical engineer, is a secondary math teacher and department chair with Chicago Public Schools. An avid runner, she also coaches boys' cross-country and track and field.

Michael Spikes (PhD23) was elected to the Illinois Press Foundation board of directors. He is a lecturer and director of the Teach for Chicago Journalism program at Medill.

Ispita K (BS24), senior associate for strategic operations for APS & Associates, was named to the Publicity Club of Chicago's 30 Under 30 class of 2025.